so i had zero debt or interest payments on it while it was being fixed up. 

Pooling investor money into a debt fund is another option for you, but seems outside of your current approach, Brendan. 

While your properties hold significant equity, adding debt from HELOCs or a DSCR loan could strain your finances if STR performance fluctuates or costs rise.

@Mary LopezNot sure if you're still looking for debt, but credit unions are a great place to look right now in this part of the market cycleGino

@Seth RolandLoans like bank statement loans or DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loans could be great options.

@Kyle Kline“Investing for equity and not cash flow” doesn’t mean “buy properties that don’t cash flow.”To me, invest for equity not cash flow means that the PRIMARY reason to invest is for equity growth and an increase in net worth and NOT cash flow.I’ve been investing for over 40 years and while cash flow is important, it’s not why invest.A property must be self supporting ie produce enough cash flow to cover debt service, operational expenses including repairs and replacements.

What makes it tough in the beginning is your rental income is not established so you need to be able to handle the debt not using rental income. 

Debt-Paydown and Tax Benefits are also a result of time. 

As DSCR loans focus on the property’s income to cover debt payments, they’re perfect for refinancing after rehabbing and renting.

For me I invest my SDIRA money in debt investments which typically are ordinary income when using w2 income and use my hard earned cash to buy properties.