However, these are advanced techniques that are rarely as easy as they sound, and they all come with additional risks.

I’m sorry to hear about the situation you’re in—it sounds incredibly frustrating, especially when communication from the syndicators has been so lacking.

I wanted to introduce myself as I am incredibly anxious to step foot into the incredible world of REI and would love to know if there are any local investors that meet/would like to meet on a semi-regular basis.I currently have a full time job in outside sales in the Arvada area so I do a lot of driving around which enables me to spend a lot of my time listening to podcasts and educating myself but I would love to get to know some players within my local area to really dive deep into the subject and in which I could potentially be of value in the future.

Having to pay a mortgage somewhere and rent somewhere else sounds incredibly stressful. 

If the second property you are buying is not turnkey, will require some work, and there is a clear value/range of what you can bring the property to by adding value then you can refinance to pay back the majority if not all of your HELOC (used for downpayment or to buy the property completely).You'll need to know how to analyze an after repair value of the property to figure out if that technique can work or not.

These marketing techniques included bright attractive ads, giveaways at concerts and festivals, flavors, and even going so far as giving presentations...in high schools.

The second Helmsley “negotiating” technique was not to negotiate.  

@Jonathan Greene what you're saying is incredibly true about adding value.

I live in Miami, FL and don't want to buy here since prices are incredibly high.I want to invest in growing communities, not exactly sure if I want to buy an AirBnb as my first out-of-state investment or 3-6 month short term, or a 1 year+ property.

@Jarrod Ochsenbein Incredible work!