Actually, during COVID (January 2021), mortgage interest rates dropped to historically low levels, reaching 2.65%.Wondering how long will I have to wait for rates to dip below 3% again?

What is your price point and are you looking for turn-key properties or something along the lines of a "fixer upper"?

You mentioned buying a fixer upper with your HELOC and now are talking about a 20% down payment.

Think I better clarify - this isn't an altruistic attempt to help VRBO 😄, but rather a hope that it might result in a higher overall booking rate if both platforms perform at a high level

A handy search bar in the upper right makes it easy to find previous discussions, blogs, podcasts, and other resources.

Assuming you don't have a mortgage that requires a certain level of insurance, you can get a stop-loss policy covering all the properties. 

Hard to give good advice without more info, but since You are single no kids it's hard to beat buying a single family fixer upper and living in it for two years and then selling for tax free profits....I'm a big fan of Waltham these days $.02 

I do believe some are truly altruistic, to a certain level, and truly believe in what they are offering.  

While rates may not decrease, the significant double-digit increases should level off.

They request interior pictures and a walk thru.The Upper duplex is a single unit with the kitchen & living room on the 3rd floor and the bedrooms on the 4th.