. $120k is a fat salary for an individual (although if you are wanting that yacht life, it may be a bit low...).

Sometimes it takes a fat check like in your case.

I'm beginning to see why Banks want to turn away business for such small sums as say less than $50k, because their FAT flat fees do indeed make it true that "much higher legal fees make not a big difference in bigger deals, it does in smaller transactions"!

And with all the money you saved from living there for free or almost free use it as a fat down payment on something nice and have that cash flow too.

Cut the fat from the deal.

But you should know that retirement accounts can be self-directed, meaning that you now have the ability to invest in alternative investments such as real estate, tax-liens, trust deeds, private lending, etc. etc.I would argue with you that that one of the worse plans that the insurance industry has come up with is the cash-value insurance policies that some of the insurance agents sell who are interested in fat commissions checks when they sell such policy and disguise them as retirement plans. 

I'm interested in debt instruments and how I can be a fat cat too ;)Please advise.

and people can smell your fat wallet coming from a mile away.

Closing costs is guess would be about $10,000It Thee than writing a big fat check, any other options y'all are familiar with to find the downpayment?

The key is to buy a property with a fat cashflow that more than pays off the HELOC.