Would you be more inclined to invest in a place where majority of city occupants own?

Personally, I'd be inclined to get the HELOC, buy whatever your next property is after you've found a good deal, and then depending on interest rates potentially refi the HELOC into a conventional mortgage to lower the interest rates. 

if not I might be inclined to remove.

@Robert Dunbar - as this question was asking which would be the best appraisal value, I’m inclined to also go with the lvp answer, because I think the value from one floor type to the next won’t matter to the appraiser, but the condition of the floor will matter, and the lvp seems to hold up well.

@Cameron TopeThe only reason I’m more inclined to use my own is for my sellers sake.

My first inclination is to feel bad, but then I realize that if they cannot afford it, they have the option to move out and sell their crap.

I can understand if the tenant is suffering from hardship but when I spoke with them last week there seems to be no inclination to pay - not even the 25% rent.

@Nathan SmithIf you are at all mechanically inclined, I’d try to find a paid internship/apprenticeship program in the trades, such as electrician, plumbing, HVAC.This would expose you to renovation work while making a good salary and without taking on debt.Personally, I went straight to a pretty good public university and got a mostly useless liberal arts degree because that’s what everyone told me was the right thing to do.After ski bumming for years, I got hired as a nuclear reactor trainee by GE.

Tahoe City, Incline Village are nice spots.

If you are DIY inclined, you can save a ton of money on contractors by watching youtube videos and doing the work yourself, especially for superficial projects.