In reality the owner probably gets to do and pay for the repairs as the tenant has no money for things like this. 

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

I personally would go that route as it would probably be less expensive. 

I don't really have a probably with someone leveraging equity in one property to get another as long as they have a strategy to make the prop they robbed the equity from whole.  

If the house was built in the 50's or earlier than you probably have cast iron pipes.

This probably means the 1st year you are on the phone 8 hours a day 5 days a week calling people and trying to convince them to sell.  

For example, I've used several banks for loans: Flagstar Bank, All Western Mortgage (a broker), PenFed Credit Union (HELOC), NewRez and probably a couple others I'm forgetting.

We're probably going to dig down a few inches to get the slab level, put in floor heating, and buy ourselves a little more head room. 

We sold the house in 3 days and didn't use an agent (probably should have looking back though). 

With a HELOC being around 9% I'd probably be paying more in interest than the money would make in the stock market.