I would like to enter the landscape of real estate investing, but the area I live in has a barrier to entry with regards to cost.

Not sure the cost of this for you but I feel with hot tub and fireplace you already have a lot of warming options and not get much additional revenue.

If you are going to do a HELOC then you must understand the cost of using those funds.  

After my P.M. costs I collect $940 or so/month. 

Is there an easy way to divide the basement up? Each side of the duplex has access to the basement but below everything is connected together and I want to make sure no side has access to each other. The way I can ima...

For me the area I was concerned with was estimating costs.

It was mostly due to my day job income and low cost of living over a long period of time; however, real estate accounts for about 50% of our income through a small portfolio of short, mid, and long term rentals. 

Do you have a preferred type of property and price range you're looking for in general (knowing the costs can be different based on they market)?

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

For most investors, to provide true separation would be cost prohibitive (between $10k-$15k).