HI Laurie,This one is going to be a balance of home sentiment, personal financial confidence based on your particular situation, and the choice of product.Choosing the right product will also be based on your perception of financial risk and your goals as well.A line or HELOC has its pros because you only pay interest if you use it which is nice because if you dont use it you dont pay anything other than the 0-75 dollar admin fee (most heloc’s have this and some dont just make sure to leave it on auto pay to avoid forgetting and incurring a late on your credit report).The downside with the HELOC is the insidious variable rate feature (margin + prime which is currently at 7% as of this writing).

that is always the perception of lower valued homes.

Perception is truly a major misperception of those who like to analyze wholesaling as a strategy.

We are in the business of low offers but that is a mind set and perception that can be overcome.  

However, if the perception is that schools and crime are getting worse, many will sell (even at a loss) to provide a good education for their children. 

I live 2 hours out of the city, so having my own property to book and stay in would provide a huge personal benefit in terms of being able to head into the city more without the stress or hotel fees.I guess I'm mostly hoping to hear if anyone has done this ... my initial concerns are (1) potential complexities with how the entity is set up/ business or otherwise/managing the books, (2) negative perception among vacationers in a complex or duplex format, and (3) finding a property manager that can manage some of the nuance of STR (such as cleanings) with the general maintenance of LTR.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/9232/55313-intro-to-section-8---your-perceptions-vs-my-realities

I think it is more of a perception thing than quality.  

Is it a perception thing, where we only own A/B homes? 

If you can, and there's track record and credibility there, it wouldn't reduce my perception of value much.