Driving around the neighborhood over time, I saw the same van at a few other houses.

You can throw that $550k into an annuity (or similar) and get a decent (and very safe) return.

You could also try looking up money judgements filed against local businesses at the magistrate level and target them with direct mail or driving for dollars. 

I'm struggling a little bit on deciding the best agreement to make sure I can get some cash flow, payback the HELOC, and not drive the new mortgage up too much with the Refi out of the HELOC.

They made it sound like a very safe and secure investments. 

McKinney is thriving, but so are other parts of North Texas, and a broader perspective could reveal other great opportunities.Here’s what I’ve observed managing a significant number of rentals in the area:Bedrooms and Layouts:3-bed, 2-bath homes consistently attract the largest pool of tenants and have the highest occupancy rates.4-bedroom homes have grown in demand, especially with the rise of remote work, as tenants look for extra space to use as a home office.Square footage is less critical than number of beds and baths.Supply and Demand:McKinney’s growth is driving demand, but the quality of the location matters greatly.

From digging into real time market data and calcualting cash flow.. to literally driving for dollars, you want someone with an incredible network of pros who can unearth leads (probate attorneys, divorce attorneys, local fix and flip circles) that might connect you with a ready buyer or flud tenant.

And if you recognize it is a good time to buy won’t everyone else see that it is a good time to buy too and then jump into the market and drive prices up?

Next time it snows drive around looking for snow removal teams and reach out to them for pricing?

These days as you mention with STR almost everything can be handled remotely...cleaning, painting, locksmith, yard care, even drive by pictures of the house occasionally or internal pictures too.