I am going book crazy and probably driving my family nuts about real estate because I constantly tell them "lets make some money and get in those offers!".

Also, because loans on four unit buildings are cheaper, more money can be spent on the building and still have it service the loan.Another advantage, as Matt points out above, is that you are relying less on each tenant to contribute to your monthly nut.

Anyway....before I start ranting some more...Call the lender and run the numbers by them and see if you basically qualify....Then ask what information they will need, based on your job(s) you may need a couple years of tax returns or W-2s, three months statements of checking/savings and asset accounts and a list of debts with balances owed and payments required, as Jon pointed out, if the debt is to be paid for more than 3 to 6 months depending on the loan.Ratios are kinda funny now, we use to say 28/36 but now some programs go all the way up to 46 even a tad over 50% (which is nuts!)

If the market goes down, you could just not vest the entire HELOC, or as stated earlier, just hold in cash and allow it be a cash cow while other assets might not be as fruitful as they once were.I did this on a property I acquired in October 2019 (my second investment).

@Bill Gulley What do you think about learning about the actual nuts and bolts of house construction?

@Cameron Crosley yes, the bay area is really nuts right now and it is basically impossible to find a cash flowing deal here right now.

@Ricky Davis It’s great to hear you’ve been able to establish such a strong and fruitful relationship with your local bank.

Last house I lived in Fruit Heights and raised my teenage kids there. 

I'm anticipating these investors holding off on flips short term since it's not too clear whether they can simply bank on that same idea in the near future, but I'm sure those that have the processes down and excellent systems in place will still find great opportunities.Another resource I'd recommend that I haven't seen anyone else mention is the Nuts and Bolts of Real Estate Investing podcast by the Seattle Investors Club.

The market has been nuts but there are those gems.