We haven’t tapped into all the heloc and it’s a small heloc so we can use the remainder cash in it that’s untapped for reserves if need be till we catch up..We talked to our realtor and it was this close to hitting the MLS .

What you are asking for is called venue shopping.

As I was juggling things at work, I could take an hour lunch to shop rentals, something I couldn’t do with a distant market. 

He honestly is a one stop shop. 

No, they have a deep understanding of their customers and place stores where the customers want to shop to maximize sales and profits.

Once I transitioned to an MTR model where we can be a one-stop-shop here in Columbus my clients are doing much better with cashflow.  

You can create custom maps to mark areas of interest, track properties you're considering, and note key amenities like schools, shopping centers, and public transport.

Paid cash for the purchase, and then financed into a HELOC to pull most of my funds back out and have access to the remainder if needed.

If they wanted to send a hard money pre-approval for half of the purchase, then either A) the lender needs to confirm that they verified the borrower possesses the remaining cash to close, or B) the borrower needs to show proof of funds for the remainder.

As far as the SD, disperse it as usual...apply any damages and refund the remainder.