@Yoni Kaszynski, with a co-signer what I focus on is whether they are "collectible".

comment of the year, as I agree - you go on many of these facebook groups and I shake my head at the amount of kool-aid people drink, and would have used the same term you used but thought it probably not as PC for me to say it. 

Engage an investor-focused realtor/broker in your preferred market (this is not a residential realtor) and start 'tire kicking' the market and properties that fit your criteria.

Since you’re already diving into BiggerPockets, focus on clarifying your investment goals (house hacking, multifamily, or BRRRR), building your network with experienced investors and lenders, and most importantly, taking action by analyzing real deals.

We work hard to keep things positive and real estate-focused (no politics or religion).

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

Focus on absentee owners and start with the ones who live the farthest away and only own one property in the area since they have the least use for the property.You can also drive for dollars, looking for anomalies of disrepair and then look them up in the tax records and use a site like Spokeo to do cheap skip tracing.

 Here's How to Make Sure It's Set Up for SuccessToo many real estate investors focus only on acquisition and forget about financial clarity.

We pride ourselves in keeping the forums positive, helpful, and focused on real estate (please, no politics, religion, etc.).

If you plan to use the remaining HELOC for a DSCR or BRRR strategy, that could help you build more equity, but consider if the current market conditions will lead to higher rates and lower cash flow in the near term.If your goal is to scale, you might consider holding onto your current duplex for the cash flow and focusing on the BRRR/DSCR strategy, which can allow for more control and potentially better long-term returns.