You have to see huge appreciation to see any gain. 

Hi @Samuel Garnatz, welcome to the forums and congratulations on taking your first step.

I just completed my 20 hour course for my Illinois Mortgage Lending License and the final step is taking the state exam.

Retaining your current home at a 2.875% mortgage rate maximizes cash flow, while accessing $65K in equity provides liquidity for your next steps.

They have little to no experience!

But I would have the HELOC paid off.

Great start but now you have some daunting questions.

They offer a $10K repair fund to fix damages in addition to SD plus warranty for appliance repair etc.I have no say in whom they choose to move in, whether there are animals, limit on # of occupants etc. they reserve right to inspect property so i have no idea if they can tell me to remodel, paint etc.does this make sense i have a vacancy coming up in October (bad rental timing).

Ask how many units they manage and how much experience they have.

There's no step by step guide but there are key things : Learn: RE strategies, what interests you, what do people in your area need.Connect: find a mentor, accountability group and be around those doing what you want to do.Help: solve problems- do people need dealflow, property mgmt, construction expertise, etc.