Does the group have a good reputation? 

Look for a company that has been in business for a minimum of 5 years and has a mostly favorable reputation. 

That said, I have a few questions: (1) We're exploring both HEL vs.

It's a form of BRRRR1)  Find a property that will appraise for more than the purchase price. 2) Find a reputable hard money lender to fund the deal with little to no cash out of pocket.

I have not looked into private/hard money lenders yet ( I am in Rhode Island) as I want to explore all my options and see what seasoned investor's have done.Appreciate any advice!

Bad landlords give us all a bad reputation.

@John DeFreitas I know of a very reputable property manager that has her office in Cutler Bay.

The time and energy and money and resources you use to buy a BRRRR primary home you can find 2 properties to buy.I would suggest exploring...at least EXPLORE it first...buying a primary home with a normal loan, ask about "first time home buyer" programs, and if you do find a good property then BRRRR that one separately.  

I am 29, have been exploring investing for over a year now.

We quickly figured out why: their sorry reputation was catching up to them, so they were changing their name.