AKA it is a way to access some of the money you've put into your home while also making sure you can still afford your mortgage payments and other debts.You will need a renter in place as rental income is apart of the calculations when underwriting these loans in addition to the other factors you mentioned like monthly housing expenses (PITIA: principle, interest, taxes, insurance, assocaited fees ARV, debt outstanding.

The KISS principle is helpful here. 

Loans are typically amortized meaning the percentage of interest paid compared to principle paydown is highest at the first month. 

When you put it in a spreadsheet and add in the interest to the principle every month it ends up being 30% annualized. 

I can't imagine buying a house, even a $50K one somewhere in the country, sight unseen.

We can learn from everybody’s path to wealth, I think it’s short sighted & ignorant to rule out any successful persons advice, one thing I’ve learned in life ..when I get advice from somebody I don’t like, is to ask myself could this person actually be right?

I have checked for reviews here on BiggerPockets, which you yourself have found and monitored, and looked on other forums, but I am not able to find any reviews other than the reviews posted on your sight about the bigger and more expensive program.

As interest (taxable as regular income), capital gains (usually taxed at 15%), and basically return of principle (pry called something else but payment against her cost basis.) that’s tax free.

I guess if you were really leveraged with multiple properties, then you can count principle as well.I've said it before, it's a myth that real estate always gets better with time.

And this is sight, unseen, Absentee Owner.