I’m hoping to find more success in Phoenix, but as you stated, the old fashioned way may be my best bet.

You have used home equity lines of credit to purchase investment rentals and want to know the best way to pay down the HELOCs.Between the two properties you bought, after expenses, you have $250 a month positive cashflow to use.What I like to do is pay down some principal every month with my positive cashflow.I use my extra active income from real estate commissions helping other investors to pay down the principal even more which just frees up that credit for me to use again.I know I can refinance the HELOC debt before it changes to principal and interest as it is just interest only payments as yours are.One difference is the cashflow, I have greater positive cashflow and could make the principal and interest payment in the future with the extra cashflow I already enjoy.I always get HELOCs on my income properties as well after purchasing them to pull out as much of my downpayment as possible.

And using the 135 and 400 as the dividing lines.

Trying to read between the lines it sounds like you have a regular owner occupied homeowners policy in place on a rental property. 

Quote from @Alan Mills: Got an inspection objection back with something I’ve not seen on my other rehab’s (this is a Colorado property):“The seller agrees to have a licensed plumber install external sewer cleanouts per city code and scope the sewer line ensuring its integrity.”This was a full interior/gut rehab and almost everything is brand new.

Statistically, I would bet that many of these properties could be at risk from a similar event before the reconstruction could even be completed.What is the new premium on a $5-10-20M insurance policy and how could it ever be recuperated during the life of the policy or length of the average 30 year loan? 

Quote from @Marc Shin: Hello - i have a 1br 1 ba STR and the refrigerator is not hooked up to the water line so the water dispenser does not work. 

(May also cut significantly into the current cash flow on it)I know you mentioned not doing a HELOC on my primary, but wouldn't it be advantageous to have the ability to pay off the line of credit instead of be stuck in a payment that is much higher? 

Do you have any idea of the price point you can afford and are you looking for turn-key properties or something along the lines of a "fixer upper"?

Another possibility could be a home equity line of credit (HELOC), if you have sufficient equity in another propertyGood luck with your project!