Wouldn't hurt to look in to both to give yourself the best chance at finding the best loan product. 

@Jill Young I may have a product that can work for you depending on the property specifics. 

Yes, it's true that you might be able to find a product you need at a greater discount when a brand like Wayfair or CB2 is having a sale, but I've found that they truly do offer superior discounts at scale, even considering the fee. 

I found a property in my area that would produce decent cash flow and appreciation; however, I would have to use funds from a HELOC on a different rental property for the down payment.

For the most part, most lenders are going to be relatively close in cost assuming we are talking about a straight forward loan product, we all borrower from the same pool of money to make these loans. 

Be sure to check with your lender to confirm their specific criteria regarding the property's condition.In short, fixer-uppers can qualify for DSCR loans, but the property either needs to be producing rental income or have a plan to do so after renovations.

Then connect with some hard money lenders (you can find some here on BP as well as some who are typing this right now) and connect with them to understand their product type, what they like to lend on and requirements.Hard money broker is all numbers game of making relationships and helping those that are looking for financing, it starts out slow but if you get with a few good borrowers and lenders it can be pretty decent money to be made.As an example we paid six figures last year to HM brokers. 

The idea is the product of an ah-ha moment late Friday afternoon as I was scrambling to put the pieces of this puzzle back together.

On finding an agent, you make a completely valid point about the top producing agents.

With the extra cash flow, you could strive to acquire additional income-producing properties over time.