And always check social media for red flags and I agree with Vince, always meet a person.  

A property manager not requiring this raises serious red flags.

Wholesaling is risky, because there are a ton of bad players out there, and so most brokerages don't even allow it because there is so much risk, and the principle broker is risking their livelyhood. 

Would a home equity loan be a viable option in this situation, especially in regards to eliminating some of the red tape I'm running into with a refinancing an scorp-owned property?

They then missed out on several more years of growth because they got out of the game and waited on the sidelines for things to look better. 2010 to 2012 was the period that cash investors were the players or those with IRA keep in mind investor loans were still basically non existent in those years for all those expect very well to do Investors beginners were not getting investor loans. 

Hire only “A Players”.  

Thats when I saw the $450K asset management fees, even though the fund is $450K in the red.

As Red Green says “We’re pulling for you…”

However, employer profit-sharing contributions (up to 25% of W-2 wages) are not subject to FICA taxes and do not appear on the W-2.To stay IRS-compliant, ensure your Form W-2 and Form 941 properly reflect deferrals, and maintain a reasonable salary to avoid red flags.

Biggest red flag, many EXPERIENCED and NEW LOs do is overpromising and under delivering.