@Mark Toweya couple things - from the seller's perspective, it means the seller doesn't have to wait the full 30 years to get the proceeds, and from the buyer's perspective, hopefully in that 5 years appreciation and maybe some updates have increased the value such that when you refinance you don't have to bring any additional cash.  

I am also putting together my own syndications to help other investors increase returns but even more importantly give them the time to live the life they want.

Assuming you go the HELOC route, another option to reduce your costs assuming you have decent credit is to look at credit card balance transfer promotions.Back in 2003-2004 I had HELOCs on my investment properties and interest rates were increasing.

The return of installing one is not 1 to 1 but will increase your properties value. 

(make sure you are budgeting for maintenance and management if you plan to use it) Rent will increase over time and your property will continue to appreciate in value. 

Why would you take your cash, and spend it on a property you don't need to spend it on, instead of using that cash to increase your properties,...and income.

By the time he covered eviction costs, lost rental income, and re-renovated after tenant turnovers, any potential gains were erased.Seven years later, his properties had appreciated to about $130,000 each—a 62% increase on paper.

Low down payment, but you would be increasing the value of the property with your own cash.

Reduce the federal budget deficit to 3% of GDP, achieve real GDP growth of 3%, and increase U.S. oil production by 3 million barrels a day by 2028.For real estate investors, these plans could mean major changes—and opportunities.

Any impending Insurance coverage or increases?