I found the most difficult part starting out is building a team (agents, lenders, contractors etc.) that you can trust has been the most difficult part.

I've heard reliable reviews on this company and was optimistic I would be able to trust them.

With a $200k HELOC, I could flip one property or buy 3, using it for down payments and leveraging loans.

This sounds like a great strategy to me since this would substantially lower my down payment in a deal.

Hi!I'm looking to start investing in Cleveland, and was looking at some 3 bedroom properties. The section 8 voucher pays $1,550 per month to 3 bedroom properties according to the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authorit...

I simply take a picture, text it to the tenant and they add the payment to their next month’s rent payment.

Mortgage payment with 25% down is $1,011. 

And I feel your pain.On my FLA builds my GC was very well known to me and trusted if I did not have him I would have been were you are at stalled.. but for me I just paid cash for the lots and gave no deposit to the GC ( again long standing relationship) so when he finally was ready we just funded draws on completed work .

They will normally have some pre-payment penalties in the first couple of years but if you are keeping long terms that's not an issue. 

Even if you fail the first time (pretty much every inspection I've had the person finds something to flag) they don't cut off payment until they have come back out a second time.