However, if I had started off with a house hack, I could have lower my monthly mortgage tremendously which would have helped me build up my savings at a much quicker pace than I had.

You don't always have to incentivize a tenant with a discount to get the tenant to stay, nor keep rents stagnant, but it is good to be aware of the business impact with respect to cost too.

I'm unsure if you would be able to combine both loans given that the HELOC is tied to a different property than the one you got traditional financing on.A work around is if you are able to purchase the new property with the HELOC at a significant enough discount, bring the property value up via renovations or additions, then refinance the property, pulling out enough money to repay the HELOC. 

My number 1 tip would be to go off market and find owner that wants to sell at a discount / prefers speed and convenience. 

., costly to maintain), they may be open to a discounted or creative arrangement.2.

These marketers would have the novice investor believe that the narrow focused “education” they provide combined with the “holy grail” formula (wholesaling, subject to, flipping, lease option, discounted note purchase, etc.) is most, if not all, anyone needs to become “independent” and successful, usually by month 12.

Seller Pre-Sale Financing: Consider selling the tenant-occupied property "as-is" now to an investor, perhaps at a slight discount, which could save time and eliminate renovation costs.

Besides all the benefits of real estate, I like the control I have, and I like the discounts on the purchase price, I'm able to get. 

-there is tremendous demand for inventory among both primary buyers and investors. 

They post their rooms on the normal hotel, discount site, etc.