Creative financing: Explore seller financing or subject-to deals for your next property, which often require less upfront cash and bypass traditional lending limits.You’re on the right track thinking long-term—house hacking and leveraging your duplex are great moves.

@Shay YaoYou're on the right track by identifying specific areas, but expanding your search could help you find the best deal.

These guys are having fun because there are a lot of scammers and gurus out there selling LLC creation services and Wyoming Trusts and Cook Islands Trusts and if you believe all that b.s. you will end up needing to cash out refinance soon in order to access that equity in order to pay for all their services plus an accountant to keep track of the mess.

I still need a way to track each tenant’s water usage, so I’m considering the Moen Flo Smart Water Monitor.

It looks like you are on the right track with your strategy. 

If you track listings a full lap around the calendar, you get a real idea of the revenue comps in an area.

In those cases where a tenant suffered a minor setback and is back on track, if they are scheduled for a hearing before they're evicted they will often pay before that or when they see the notice on the door, but only if you file relatively soon.It really is good screening and filing quickly and consistently that minimize nasty non-payment issues in just about any kind of market. 

What skills, experience, or track record do you think are essential to successfully and responsibly raise money from others?

@Keith Angell I'd say you are on the right track with the HELOC. 

@Melissa D.You're on the right track by narrowing down your market and strategy while staying open to both house hacking in Denver and long-distance investing.