You want this to be your backup plan if things take longer than anticipated, you do not want to dip into personal credit cards so i would use a heloc to help with down payment but try to keep a nice available balance on a heloc as your insurance policy. 

When all the dust settles, and the  person searching is tired and discouraged and gives up, Jerry may not have bought  a single lot, but he's made some money from the training he sold you, which was his main goal from the beginning!

With that said, I have personally seen a lot of activity in the last two weeks.

Go in person to the planning department and talk to them.

This gives them significant control and security.Joint Venture Agreement with Personal Guarantee: We establish a Joint Venture (JV) agreement that includes a personal guarantee, providing an additional layer of security for our investors.Memorandum Filing: We file a memorandum in the county where the property is located.

I have not seen a significant difference in this area between section 8 and non-section 8 tenants, personally. 

I have also utilized owner financing for longer periods of time, including personal residence and 2 barrier island houses on the coast of Florida.  

Usually my time spent with newbies last a minimum of 1-2 hours on our first meeting (either in person or on the phone).  

Now were back to a mare normal world where a person has to have that skill of forecasting, analysis, ability to "read the tea leaves" for where it's all going and if todays acquisition makes sense. 

I would say the same for employees who need say a second advance on their wages (we allow one).I am willing to make a personal loan if an employee really needs it and you could consider doing it that way with a tenant in need.