Best of luck with your pursuit. 

Hi Jordan, you are already doing two things right, learning by being on Bigger Pockets and working for a real estate company, you will make some connections there that will help with your pursuit in acquiring and running real estate. 

Spokane frequently pops up on national lists, for example, REI lists Spokane as one of the top cities in the USA for outdoors pursuits, Livability.com puts Spokane as one of the top most livable cities in the USA.Spokane is about to blow up, get in while you can.Good luck in all your real estate ventures!

I have looked for a month now tirelessly and have yet to find a single bank that will offer a HELOC on an rental property with decent LTV.

. :) RCW 59.18.070Landlord—Failure to perform duties—Notice from tenant—Contents—Time limits for landlord's remedial action.If at any time during the tenancy the landlord fails to carry out the duties required by RCW 59.18.060 or by the rental agreement, the tenant may, in addition to pursuit of remedies otherwise provided him or her by law, deliver written notice to the person designated in *RCW 59.18.060(14), or to the person who collects the rent, which notice shall specify the premises involved, the name of the owner, if known, and the nature of the defective condition.

This pursuit of perfection can lead to analysis paralysis, as it becomes challenging to find a property that meets all criteria.

Hope this helps you with your pursuits!

If REI ends up being your pursuit, I'd do something similar that @Cody L mentioned and that I mentioned in the NFL player thread but more SFH oriented. 60% towards 20-40% LTV properties that are undervalued(less than median price) in a growing city(by characteristics, trends, industries).