You can rent out a vaction home so it can be used to earn some cash and offset the mortgage for the frst year. 

Garbage disposals are the bain of the existence to most landlords.

It's not profit until you access it in some form of cash.I've seen investors loss properties with equity (a few with a lot of equity) because they can't sell at a price high enough to gain that equity, or because they can't refinance it due to the negative CF,...which would increase with a new mortgage.

Also it meets the 50% rule. 30 year mortgage at 7% is a payment of approx 323. 925 rent - 462 (operating expenses)= 462; 462 - 323 (debt service)= 139 cashflow.

Could you elaborate on how not having a balance sheet would affect an 18 door SMLLC with no mortgages. 

Going to networking events to network with Realtors, Mortgage, Title etc all helps. 

Is your DSCR ratio greater than 1-meaning are you cash flowing (according to the lender's criteria of mortgage, property taxes and insurance (and HOA) if applicable).

My strategy is to use HELOC to cover down payment and convention loan to cover the rest of the mortgage.

My thought here is that these properties will have no mortgage associated, purchasing the property offers the opportunity to have the deed issued for the property. 

This policy will provide additional coverage above what your existing policy covers.