Any recommendation on how to go about this, is highly appreciated.Thank you all.

Cost of capital is high right now. 

Sometimes hard to find this happy medium in rate sheets, though.Another consideration would be taxes - points are typically treated as interest, so if your tax obligations are high this year vs being higher in the future, then this could also impact buying down now vs paying a little more in interest in future years. 

All good tips here so far.

I highly recommend contacting Ashley if you're considering investing in Gulf Shores. 

For a first-lien HELOC on a 2-unit rental property, I highly recommend reaching out to Taylor Adams at A&N Mortgage.

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

If approaching the seller directly, how do you recommend I go about it? 

I highly recommend you start going to meetups.