If they balk when you increase the rent let them know that their inquiry triggered you to check the local rental market and that you are actually below market rate. 

.@ Frank Patalano, nice to chat again Frank....been on almost 2 months, not sure why noone 'pulled the trigger'...but I'll find out first hand shorty, planning a road trip !

@Adrian Beltran There are A LOT of pain points with on market. 1) you work with a normal realtor who often (not always, but often) doesn't know much about investing2) you're flooded with hundreds of properties, most of which are not a good deal3) the properties that are a good deal you've got to get to quickly, because many many other investors are looking too so you've got to pull the trigger ASAP to beat those investors4) ASAP meaning you can't properly vet the property.

A Heloc would keep your current loan in tact but also enable you to pull the trigger should a deal present itself.

While I am not ready to pull the trigger yet, I do want to start mapping out different markets and analyzing some deals to see what is out there.  

Really excited to pull the trigger at the end of the year but still nervous about my bad credit.

I would not even consider this deal unless there were separate gas meters to help cut costs and there would need to be a very real possibility of increasing monthly rents by ~$2,500, but even with that I would likely not pull the trigger, because I am very much about growth.If this is the only property you plan on buying and you just want the equity then it might be ok for you; you're the only one who knows what your goals are.

I am enthusiastic, but slightly hesitant to pull the trigger.

At some point after you've evaluated a bunch, be confident enough to pull the trigger.

Pull the trigger on hold back?