But I guess some tenants may want to do that instead of putting a traditional large deposit down. 

If you live in the property for at least two years, you can sell it without paying ANY capital gains tax (unlike traditional flipping).We've done this a few times, but almost every time, we end up keeping the home as a rental.

Traditionally from what I have seen HELOCs are always interest only and usually variable.

and yes, almost nothing cash flows right now unless it's some kind of creative or risky or non-traditional strategy.  

You can then avoid hard money lenders and go with a traditional bank.

It has a lower turnover than STR but can bring in higher rent than traditional leases.Co-Living Arrangements: Renting rooms individually on a month-to-month basis could generate more income than a single long-term lease while reducing management hassle.Furnished Long-Term Rental: A furnished rental could allow for higher rent and attract tenants who don’t want the STR commitment but still value flexibility.Partner with a Local Boutique STR Manager: Some local companies manage STRs with lower fees than Airbnb's traditional managers and could help keep profits up without 20% fees.Hope that helps you with your decision!

People who have money may prefer to seller finance but if someone is retiring they most likely don’t care about a higher sales price they want to avoid the riskYou mention ou have a 100% close rate - then why not just buy it was traditional financing if you really want the deal?

I'm in the Houston area and looking to list my property as a midterm rental before going the traditional lease route.

I truly cant think of a reason why I would ever go back to traditional renting 

I do however, have full availability on my HELOC, various credit cards that are offering me 0% balance transfer checks for up to 12 months, and various retirement funds (Roth IRA, traditional 401k, etc.)I'm already a homeowner in SoCal, but I want to buy my first LTR SFR someplace like Cleveland since the price point is attractive.