So they now own a house that is rented and the rent covers the mortgage payment by a ration of 1.25:1 or so and they have 5k extra in their pockets and their Heloc money, which they only needed 75k - 80k of - so 100k HELOC should be plenty - was enough. to get through the lifecycle.Do not let them drain their equity from primary and just sink it into a project. 

Even if you have enough for a down payment and closing costs, there is always a chance the furnace or AC goes out the first time you try to turn it on (typically this would be caught by an inspector), or some major damage happens that insurance doesn't cover.  

We just need help getting in, the payments are covered!

I'm in a smaller town without any representation on the forum along the "Building Your Investing Team" tabs.

Probably because the sellers representation doesn’t match reality.

Every month the rent covers your expenses and not only does it put a couple of dollars in your pocket, but it also builds your equity as your tenant pays down the loan.

Make sure to find a good property manager who manages your type of property before you purchase, or have enough cash to cover the consequences of it. 

The seller can't cover these repairs before closing but has offered to credit the repair costs at closing instead.

It is a liquidated amount covering only part of Landlord’s damages—for Landlord’s time, effort, and expense in finding and processing a replacement resident.

We can definitely explore options for a mortgage on your $350k property to fund both your current renovation and the purchase of your next investment property.For the new property, we can also consider a separate mortgage to cover its purchase and rehab costs.Regarding the rural location, while it may limit leverage to around 65% of the property's price/value, we can work within these parameters.Given your equity position and experience, I'm confident we can structure a solution that meets your needs.