Otherwise, you may be limited to doing deals that are less than or equal to the equity in your home, and miss out on some bigger opportunities.That said, fix-and-flip loans will have higher fees and interest rates than most HELOC's.

We were thinking about this now because it's hard to find good deals in our price range, so thought it might be easier to put it into a bigger deal but sounds like that's not such an option. 

It's a far better starting point for a new investor slowly growing a portfolio.You can learn more about that here on a Bigger Pocket Podcasts and here, and here is an article on it too. 

I believe it tends to give me a slightly lower return, because the sponsor is going to be more careful, and if there is a severe downturn will prevent me from taking catastrophic losses.

Quote from @Derek Wilke: Hello Everyone,I am joining Bigger Pockets today seeking professional connections.

I'm brand new to Bigger Pockets and just recently moved to Los Angeles County.

Can you take the loss without completely ruining your finances?

In southern Florida I fund and profit / loss is 50/50.

Taking the loss now is preferable to paying out monthly for the privilege of being a landlord.

Findlay is a real oppotunity beause you’ve got a combination of stable job sources, a decent population size, and often lower acquisition costs compared to bigger metros.About choosing an agent..