I have several deals I'm putting together with houses under contract that are below market and will cash flow when closed on.Doing Due Diligence and I wanted to see what experience you guys had with this lender.

I'd offer cash for keys.

Really depends on the scenario in terms of property value, cash flow, credit, and leverage. 

We want to begin by house hacking with a duplex in order to eliminate our current rent payment and have more cash to invest. 

The 2nd question is should we pursue the investment property even though we are more cash strapped than normal due to the remodel and if so, would using a HELOC make sense? 

You can use a DSCR loan (you can find lenders by using the "Find a Lender" tab on BP) and not have to worry about a tax income or W-2s, the underwriting is done based off of the property's cash flow.

We never took out the equity from the property; however, if I were to do it again, I would likely have done a cash-out refinance or a HELOC so you can pull out the equity and roll it into the next deal.

Professional management and screening will have the largest impact on how your investment performs month to month from a cash flow perspective. 

If you own the property in cash, you can get away with whatever insurance you want and can even get $700/yr for a duplex.

Fannie: B2-1.3-03, Cash-Out Refinance Transactions (02/01/2023)Freddie: 4301.5(a) 3/6/2024