Ooops Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Pro tip - Home Depot has a tile from Ivy Hill that looks exactly like Zellige for a fraction of the cost.

@Max Briggs I would recommend checking out the landlord resources tab on BiggerPockets.  

What would you recommend for someone just starting out?

I could write an essay on why, but as someone who manages nearly 1,000 doors up and down the I-25 corridor, I can tell you these are not the investment vehicles I recommend to my clients and they are not what I personally would ever own. 

Would you recommend the route of a first lien HELOC based on the above situation and information?

I would strongly recommend taking a look at Columbus Ohio!

I recommend you do this annually to adjust for utility increases and other variables.

I agree with where Nicholas is going, first, if it's feasible I'd recommend house hacking some type of multi family or even a single family that's local to you. 

Some folks have already given good advice, and I want to add a quick tip for how to get data on potential STR properties.