VA loan, I only put around 5% down.

You would be building equity and paying down the loan over time.

@Spenser HardingDon't take a hard money loan on something intended to be a rental.

We're in sunny Florida, buyers want the loan paid off and there is a $0 increase in home value. 

Hello BP Community,As is very common I have friends who purchase their rental houses under their own name in order to get lower interest rate loans with better terms and also cheaper landlord insurance, and then they transfer the title into their LLC after closing. 

Banks also won’t loan less than 50k on a home loan period.

@Daniel Hartless for any condos that allow STR, you will not be able to get away with 10% down as a second home, because conventional loans do not allow financing for a short-term rental and will require a minimum of 20% down.

Hard Money Loans: These are short-term loans from private lenders based on the property's value rather than your credit score.

I'm interested in everyone's opinions on using a HELOC to purchase turn-key rentals for the short term and covering principal paydown across all new mortgages / loans ( HELOC ) through excess income. 

We had to move to Jackson MS for one year to work on 220 defaulted loans I owned.. that was no pick nic..