I have tried going through the conventional route of HELOC and Home Equity Loan for my primary residence.

-We are closing on a primary residence in a couple of weeks that has a cottage on it that we will begin short/mid term renting upon close. 

I would strongly recommend looking at the BiggerPockets lender finder since all those lenders are familiar with the investor mindset even if this is for a primary residence :)https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/lenders

Then I bought a bigger condo for our primary residence in 2022 for 275k with a conventional mortgage (5% down,1.5% APR).

We have offered they can terminate their lease at no penalty charge because frankly they complain a lot and are unhappy with the residence.

But you know enough to be able to fill in the blanks and get close... public records, utility companies, visiting with residents, walking the park and networking with other park owners. 

You can always start off in real estate by acquiring a property as a primary residence.

My primary objective is to buy something within a few hours of residency.

Areas like Windermere and Lake Nona are seeing rapid growth in exclusive developments, offering luxury residences that combine nature and modernity.Palm Beach: This area is an icon of classic luxury.

I've purchased properties before as a residence, that were in negative cash flow initially, which are doing great now.