Or, if you're happy to stay living there, but want as much immediately accessible cash in your pocket as a Lender would approve, you'd need to make sure your newly acquired investor mindset was in full bargain hunting / return-on-investment mode, because, your monthly repayments will increase significantly once you withdraw the maximum against a HELOC!

The more things it touches, the more you can control.Equity, bought by the investor, is dead money...mainly, because it stops moving. 

We stopped investing over 12 years ago but recently thought about getting back into the business on a long term basis.

Stop it!

Also to add if you are still contributing to your 401k you could also stop contributing today and use the money you were contributing to save for a downpayment.

If you are keeping the appreciating market in mind the deals are there and please everyone stop watching HGTV!!!!!!

My rentals are all in a small town and the bank is close for everyone, I understand that this may not be a suitable solution for landlords with multiple properties in different locations.Did you just choose a bank that was most accessible for your tenants? 

Is Wells Fargo going to stop by and tell them to stop having chickens?

Moving a lot of dirt like that might cause inspectors to stop by. 

Currently the rear of the garden unit is divided up by walls to create a furnace room somewhat in the middle of it, and a second closet-type room to access the furnace room.