If market conditions change or unexpected expenses come, you might find yourself over-leveraged.Cash Flow Considerations With both a hardmoney loan and a HELOC, your monthly obligations will increase.

Similar to you, I wanted to find somewhere less expensive, still close to the Bay Area (drivable), but without the high property taxes, more favorable tenant/landlord laws, no state income tax, and consistent job/population growth. 

Ensure you work that into your expenses when underwriting.Answering your questions:Experience - Location is really your main driver here.

Calculate potential rental income, expenses, and any projected appreciation to see how each option would impact your overall portfolio.

Not sure what the difference would be $ wise  but reducing your principal biweekly vs at the end of the year would reduce your interest expense more than lump sum. 

@Avery Moore From a tax perspective, purchasing properties through your LLC won’t necessarily change your tax liability, as the IRS often treats single-member LLCs as “disregarded entities,” meaning the income and expenses flow through to your personal tax return.

Trust me, you don’t want to find out you’re violating a local ordinance after the fact-it can get messy and expensive fast2.

It involves minimizing living expenses, building equity in one property, and leveraging that equity to buy another after a year.

In running the numbers I’m making assumptions about many operating expenses.

Then see what they paid for cleanings, usually it’s a pass through expense.