We've retained almost every tenant after bringing the rents closer to market, as we were pretty strategic about how we went about the raises. 

@Jared Asch, It's a great strategy that actually has a potential self perpetuating benefit if you look at it strategically enough. 

Hey everybody,I am trying to strategize with my friend and partner about purchasing our first property.

From a strategic perspective I am looking to buy and hold multifamily and generate good cash flow ( beating the market in terms of COC return).

He or one of his people can help you strategize on the tax side.

They solve the hot water issue for the one tenant and strategize how to get the shut offs done in my unit without shutting down 39 other units. - With game plan set, my plumber returns the following day to perform my work.

(I teach what I call the OOS SFR TK Strategy).In that scenario, you could see if you like to use HELOC as an option to purchase, or maybe keep HELOC as an option to grow your portfolio.In a residency situation, the most efficient use of your available funds would be to use as little as possible for your residence and keep as much as possible for your investing goals.There are a few other strategic options to increase the velocity of your money but that would have to be discussed.

Do you think it's viable to leverage my skills for a strategic partnership with a real estate investor? 

We need some help with a strategic plan- I assume we wouldn't be able to afford to buy more rental properties while buying a new place for ourselves.

You have to think strategically.