Is your goal to add a stream of income or replace a full time 9-5 gig, to save a certain amount of money, retire early, etc.  

Writing of 2 home offices (or 4 possibly, in your case) would be a huge red flag for the IRS for the benefit of a few dollars in tax savings.

I do not have a lot of money saved up but want to buy a property ASAP.

I can continue saving cash and wait for a deal or a reduction in pricing.

I was ready to invest in 2012-2013 and it would have been a phenomenal time to start, but unfortunately had to 'invest' in a divorce and saving my house and business.

Buying it traditional can save you on interest rate but heloc on the other hand is not fixed rate, as of now my heloc is reaching 6% flexible rate.

If they don't, there may be underlying issues.Information is power, be nosy, it can save you some headaches down the road.Hope this helps.

I could pay it off earlier and save myself some interest in an amortized loan, meaning more interest paid upfront, but that does not mean that the say $20.000 I paid down is available to borrow against again.

Looking for 2-4 units, however right now I have about $10k saved up.

Save it until later and use it to purchase more property !