Is it better to keep adding equity by doing work on the houses while I'm renting them then refinance to recover the initial down-payment to reinvest into another property or to pay down the heloc?

This negative position can consume years of cash flow to recover.

If the permanent financing will allow you to recover most of your initial investment and the fair market rent covers the principal, interest taxes, and insurance with cash left over, you have a BRRRR.

The buyer was happy that I recovered her money in full that she wasn't even mad about losing the deal.  

This negative position can consume years of cash flow to recover.

They're the ones working with those agencies on a regular basis and have the best referrals.As far as recovering the debt, try leveling with the tenant as much as possible so they grasp the seriousness of being sent to collections.

@Chris Morris have ALWAYS seen bad "deals" from rookie wholesalers that really don't understand what they are doing to provide value to the industry.It's getting worse because the real estate market has recovered from the 2010 Crash, yet many are still using tactics & methods developed during this time.Everyone in the industry needs to go back and look at what was being done BEFORE 2010 and start using those methods, updating them with current technology.

They should ONLY include properties of the same size (sq ftg), and within a short distance form this property.Lastly, your profit comes after you recover your cash you put in. 

Dallas should recover so I would think it will appreciate over the next few years.

This negative position can consume years of cash flow to recover.