Might have indeed had $1.3 million and still working for the man, and a pot of $$ that I still couldn’t access without the gubmit telling me when, how, and how much. 

One way would be to get the real estate under contract, then bring an experienced partner in who also has access to capital, and stay in the deal as a minority equity partner.

Nothing illegal about doing that, but if caught, the lender may call the loan due and if you don't correct the situation or pay the loan off, they willstart mortgage foreclosure.3) You could also go the HELOC route to tap the equity in the home, but the 12-month owner-occupancy will also apply AND the interest rate on the HELOC will fluctuate with the Fed Fund Rate.4) You could do a cashout refi as an investment property, but that will be at an interest rate 0.5-1% higher than owner-occupied rate.Suggest you meet with 2-3 lenders to explore your options about the above.Once you have access to funds, recommend you buy a 2-4 unit with 20-25% down. - You can buy owner-occupied, live in one unit, and fix up and rent the other unit(s).- If you're handy, recommend buying a property in the worst condition you can tolerate.

most of the above have a general known sqftage, known market area, known look, known parking and access, etc etc.  

With land investing/flipping becoming more democratized/accessible  (so many landed courses, tools, resources etc), current prices/RE trends etc, is it still worth getting into land investing/flipping for a brand new RE investor ?

When you can access the opportunities first, you can qualify the lead first, analyse and find the best deals first, reach out and build rapport first , offer your solution first (rather than having your offer thrown on a pile of others the individual has already been given) and so on.

I sank every dollar my rentals provided back in to paying off debt and acquiring more properties.

I am based in Seattle, but is licensed in Tx.You can acquire your a primary residence from up to 1-4 units for as low as 5% with conventional or 3.5% with FHA with a few exceptions.

I have helped several investors recently acquire single family homes around the $400K price point that rent in the $2,200-$2,350 range.

Are you looking to acquire more properties?