So there is a lot of incentive from some big long established entities in both syndication and banking/finance to just sit back, let others over-leverage and drive thing's bust, because picking up the ashes is more like picking up the gold.

Given that the industrial market is softer than the prior few years, I intend to buyout/wait until current leases expire and leverage the space into self-storage. 

If I would have known about these earlier I would have bought less personal real estate, but again it depends on your goals of leverage, building wealth, risk, and your overall perception on how to handle your money.      

@Caleigh McDonoughHere are the pros and cons of waiting for 20% down on a mortgage in Charlotte, suggesting starting with 5-10% down, leveraging owner-occupied financing, and refinancing.

To add, leveraging fix-and-flip or BRRRR-specific financing can help you scale faster without overextending your personal funds.

Networking Tips: How can I leverage industry events, meetups, and online communities to build relationships with potential investors?

Many investors have started off with less and leveraged their way to financial freedom. your just not there yet.

in a few short years 1 property has produced over a $1/2 million in equity, thousands in cash flow, was leverage to buy another property which does the same and leverage to buy a small cash flowing business. 

Surely I'm not the first person to come up against this so I thought I would try and leverage this forum for advice.

Rates will be 10-13%, depending on the terms.A HELOC can be a good tool to leverage your equity for a down payment without touching your current low-rate mortgage.