It's a special product.Regarding not having a standalone HELOC product, in 2022 during the heat of the low rate boom we did suspend our standalone product, and I can absolutely understand that wasn't ideal!

Not ideal obviously, but like you said, i can use it to purchase something that will have more value here.  

I'm looking to buy my first property as a house hack ideally a 3 or 4 unit, and I have what could be a 3-5% down payment saved right now.

This is the ideal world.

Ideally this would be a service that charges per individual background directly to the applicant before hiring.

some ideas:- yes you could put more money down upfront, even though it's not ideal.- Look for off-market deals that are much cheaper,  using hard money and then refinancing with a rental loan.- Find properties where the owner will finance most of it, so you only need a smaller loan with the higher interest for the down payment.- Take over a property where you can continue the seller’s lower interest payments.- Another thought to give why would you want to do a rental at all, I mean those terms are horrible. why not buy something else with a better return on invest?

But the upside is, the more you underwrite and think about these things, ideally with some real world experiences behind it to confirm your assumptions, the faster it will go next round.

We love intown living and our ideal situation is a house with some character in a diverse neighborhood with community gardens, BeltLine, etc.We have heard and seen an opportunity on the Westside (Grove Park, West End, Adair Park, Capitol View / Perkerson Park, and some streets in Mozley Park) with all of the exciting developments that are planned or in progress.

We're vertically integrated, and every time we add another deal, that means hiring staff, and possibly growing the back office.If the focus is on equity and PPU (profit per unit), then self managing woud be ideal.  

When purchasing a BRRRR property, it's super likely that at least some of the neighboring homes will be in less-than-ideal condition so you want to give it time for those models to go under some rehab hopefully and appreciate which will help your appraised value at the end of the seasoning period so you can maximize your cash-out.If you have any additional questions - feel free to reach out!