I ran into this issue with crowdfunding, being that I am a non-accredited investor, thus, I resorted to the stock fund investment path.

@William DeLuca - Have you considered doing some wholesaling to build up your cash funds enough to make your first purchase?

You might as well save yourself the headache and put that $ into a mutual fund which will get you 6-8%, you should be looking for deals with 15% CoCR. $200/mo without paying your self for being a property manager is not a good deal!

My goal with real estate investing is to build enough cash flow to fund my other business ventures as well as donate to financial literacy programs.  

How do people traditionally go about funding this when you just get started.3) Take out a home equity line of credit. $20k again. 

People get fixed on price and LTV but it is just one factor in the overall investing picture.I look at about 500 to 1,000 properties a week.

You're interested in lending your funds on fix and flip projects?

HELOC and refi are the sources I will be turning to to fund my ADU conversion right now.

I have heard that one can set the funds aside in escrow until it is settled and proceed with the sale, but not sure if this is the best action to be taken.

t hits the fan" fund.