Moreover, if you're planning to use the 2nd unit as an STR (short term vacation rental), AirBnB and similar, you'll likely need to get a license from the city allowing that.

Short of crowdfunding does anyone have any suggestions on how I can approach potential investors about helping me come up with this down payment ?

Our short term goal is to buy our first property within the next year.   

Has anyone had any experience with lenders that will still do HELOCS for short times on deed or does that matter?

I have heard many of times on BP investors using hard money to do short term deals such as flipping or rehab/rent then sell.

I'm not an expert on the law but have been a part of the development of the short term housing ordinance in LA (from the perspective of someone who shares their home). 

We are needing a short term bridge loan to complete the transaction at closing.

@Caroline Hires Just a thought, from an online marketing perspective, I googled "how to invest 100k" and didn't see any top-of-page advertisers - you might bid on that keyword (or similar), create a short landing page making the case for why investing in real estate with you is a good idea, and how to contact you to chat at the local Starbucks.

Again, lots of varied content to learn from:-Michael Quarles Real Estate Show (short and to the point episodes)-Mobile Home Park Investing (great tips, even if this isn't your niche)-Flipping Junkie (actionable tips for just about every REI level) Between everyone's recommendations you'll have tons of content to keep your commute educational!

Making yourself valuable to an investor by doing things they don't want to or don't have time for is a great way to try it out, without committing to an actual property and discovering that it isn't for you.