I too believe it is getting harder and harder to find the people you really need to consistently get the results you need to keep losses down in small-scale fix-and-flip and buy-and-hold operations like ours.Joe, I too have noticed the almost total lack of forum postings on how the non-self-managed are able to get actual quality work done instead of the illusion of it.

My goal is to eventually supplement my income with additional cash flow, further diversifying my portfolio of investments, and building long-term wealth that can result in early retirement and only working out of desire vs. necessity. 

Another way to look at it is if you paid the same amount from your mortgage to a HELOC with the same balance and same APR, the result would be the same since the interest owed each month along the way would be same. 

Ask the surveyor Why the survey does not match the plat.

So instead of 'development and multi-family', start with 'networking, service, reading spreadsheets/analyzing, connecting with people, managing projects, etc....' basically write out whatever you really enjoy doing OR whatever skill you want to acquire... and find a job in RE that matches. because RE is so diverse and people oriented, you're bound to find something that suits you. 

If you want to hire one there are many sites you can go to to do it, I have used "upwork" with good results in the past.

Two years’ worth of hustle yielded no result which is discouraging for someone who is used to succeeding in all of his endeavors.

Seems as though house prices are high but rent doesn't match that.

One resulted in a showing. 

Asking Price 215000 Primary Inputs Purchase Price($) $ 190,000.00 Downpayment(%) 3.5% Units(#) 2 Monthly Rent($) $ 1,150 Occupancy Rate 75% 30 Year Loan Rate(%) 4.50% 15 Year Loan Rate(%) 3.90% Secondary Inputs Closing Costs(%) 6.0% Property Tax(%) 1.8% Insurance(%) 0.8% Maintenance(%) 10.0% Property Management(%) 10.0% Improvements($) $ 20,000.00 Closing Costs($) $ 11,400.00 Inspections/Misc($) $ 600.00  Value (30-Year Mortgage Scenario) Monthly Rent $ 1,725 Annual Rent $ 20,700.00 Value Per 2% Rule $ 86,250 Value Difference (2% Rule) $ (103,750) Annual NOI $ 13,800 ROI (Pre-Tax) 8.36% ROI (Post-Tax) 8.1% CAP Rate (50% Rule) 7.3% CAP Rate (Assumed Expenses) 6.0% Annual Expenses Annual Property Taxes $ 3,420 Annual Maintenance $ 2,070 Annual Insurance $ 1,520 Property Upkeep/Other $ 200 Property Management $ 2,070 Total: $ 9,280  30-Year Mortgage Results Money Down $ 38,650.00 Monthly Gross Rent $ 1,725.00 Monthly Loan Pmnt $ 929.01 Effective Rental Income $ 20,700.00 Annual Loan Pmnts $ 11,148.09 Annual Expenses $ 9,280.00 Total Expenses + Loans $ 20,428.09 Annual Cash-Flow (Pre-Tax) $ 271.91 Annual Return (Cash-Flow + Equity, Pre-Tax) $ 3,229.76 Annual Post-Tax Cash-Flow (Pre-Tax) $ 190.34