@Jennie Berger The RS-3 Zone allows for Single-Family residences & 2-Flats as "Permitted Uses"; however, the RS-3 Zone still requires 2,500 sq.ft. of lot area per unit (i.e. 5,000 sq.ft. for a 2-flat) unless the lot meets the exception for the characteristic of the block as previously mentioned by Nicolas; then it can be reduced to 1,500 sq.ft. per unit in order to construct a 2-flat.

Another pro for a HELOC is not having to meet a HML's requirements for a loan (insurance, draw schedules etc....)

Meeting its standards makes these loans eligible to be purchased by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. 

It'll be fun to grab coffee and meet up! 

There are some great meet ups in your area I'm sure and a lot of people at those meet ups are more than happy to chat and give ideas and answer questions.

Or you can directly meet them by registering to real estate events around you: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-events-and-happenings 6.

How do you build trust with homeowners or sellers when you can’t meet face-to-face?

Look on Facebook as well for local investment pages, you will find a lot of local investors that you can meet with. 

Drew, very helpful. 

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!