Learning that I prefer money invested in real estate over money sitting in the bank... don't we all?!

IF you have super strong income and you and have a lower 1st lien, lots of equity - MAYBE your best bet is using a local bank or CU to get most competitive HELOC inv terms.

We have 40k in the bank and 100k equity in our current house (but we can't afford a larger payment on our current residence).

Buy of course banks won’t use “gift funds” and I don’t want to wait 60 days to let season.

We have a 3% rate so dont want to refi but the property has appreciated quite a bit so would like to tap into that equity to fund our next deal.I am having some trouble finding lenders that offer helocs on investment properties.Does anyone know of any banks and/or lenders that do helocs on investments?

This should provide sufficient operational reserves and the ability to fund initial construction draws until bank draws are released on work progress.

But for now, not looking for a job.As for concern for bank accounts vs tangible and pragmatic things, you make a good point.

I could never buy land in brickell it's more than 300 million per acre. but in columbus I can buy an infill lot for 40-60k within 1mile of Downtown Columbus. we looked at hundreds of Floorplans and found that 2 bedrooms seemed to be better than 1 and we wanted a tight compact floorplan that could get high rents. rents are higher Downtown Columbus and property values are higher Downtown Columbus by more than 40%. after that we wanted 4 units but it was commercial so we stuck to 3 units because it's residential. in February of 2024 we submitted our first design of a stacked triplex that is 2 beds 1 bath. after design changes, we now have about 7 approved in our market. all of the underwriting of banks is based on long term rentals.

If the Investor does not disclose to the seller how this process works and the Bank calls them yes you will have a mess and may be hard to undo. 

However, here are a few strategies to explore:Local Real Estate Investor Networks – Join local REI groups, meetups, or Facebook groups where private lenders may be open to funding primary residences under the right terms.Seller Financing – If the seller is open to it, you could negotiate a seller-financed deal where they act as the lender.Community Banks & Credit Unions – Smaller local banks may offer portfolio loans with flexible terms.Wealthy Individuals / Family Offices – High-net-worth individuals sometimes fund private deals, especially if they see strong equity and repayment potential.IRA or Self-Directed Retirement Accounts – Some investors lend money from their self-directed IRAs for real estate transactions.Since you’re willing to pay higher interest for a short-term solution, a contract for deed (land contract) might also be an option, where the seller keeps the title until you pay it off or refinance.Would you like me to connect you with any potential private lenders?