Focus on analyzing properties and starting small, like house hacking or buying a single-family home to rent out rooms, while ensuring cash flow and maintaining an emergency fund.

Financing seems to be tricky with IRA hence feel that its best to buy with self funding fully.

.: As a contractor and flipper, I dont buy materials from retailers or online.

(or if they're primary buyers, they don't care about yield, since they're going to live there.)i just went to visit two very distressed properties yesterday that i would buy.... if they were priced 50% lower.  

Would also love to connect with experienced Cleveland rental investors.Much Thanks Cleveland is one of the few markets in the USA where buying stuff with the 2% rule is still feasible in 2023.

Most who get tripped up are those buying the smaller multi-families that don't possess the correct use permit/historical rental license activity. 

What type of properties are you looking to buy?

I would suggest you do both of what you suggest - meaning get either a new mortgage (more conservative route) or HELOC on the townhome and use those funds to buy your next investment property.

So if 3 siblings all buy a house together and all live in it when they sell up to $750k can be excluded.If married only one person needs to meet the ownership requirement-but both must meet the use requirement. 

The majority of the business I do is buying small multi families and identifying the towns that are more favorable for investing.