Rental rates are holding strong, which is promising for investors.

I have thought about doing a HELOC but I feel like I am just creating another payment at a higher interest rate.

What is the going rate for a 3 bedroom detached?

As interest rates drop, house prices will go higher.

But given the high-interest rate and expanded cap rate environment, I feel like there may be some good opportunities for vulture GPs/Operators.

I would wait till rates eventually go down and there are real opportunities in real estate and take advantage of it then

What is your prediction on rental rates and multifamily property values in your market over the next year? 

I'm in the position to apply(depending on lender DTI requirement) for conventional financing through the builder at <6% interest rate in this current market.

Storage occupancy rates during past recessions has remained relatively stableFor example, during a recession, when folks downsize from a 3 bed/1 bath to a 2 bed/1 bath, those people, historically, keep their belongings and put them in storage.Also, during inflationary times, self-storage operators can better manage rates because most leases are month-to-month.

Its certainly hard to cash flow significantly in the current environment (high rates, high values etc) - I tend to think though that just "doing" a first deal even if it doesn't make too much is valuable versus getting stuck in analysis paralysis - the learning from the experience of actual doing it generally is 10X + even a ton of courses, info, spreadsheets etc