I believe that much of the new construction will be overpriced for a lot of the Tucson demographic, so updated nice older houses will appeal to many.I see a ton of flips in the listings in all parts of town.

Now is the perfect time for him to dump it because the seasons have changed and everything looks ok on the surface

Ideally i could let my credit season and pay off in 2 years. i feel like if i were on the other side i would jump at a deal like that. 

Personally, I am looking into residential investments - I am not a seasoned investor (yet!) 

I am sure people who are well-connected, seasoned investors investing full-time/with a team are able find those deals, but I have yet to find one in my 2 years of looking (the 2 I've bought are about at the 1% rule / about 8% ROI, cap rate 7ish.  

I have friends in Lakeland Florida so I have considered that however I like seasons so I'm not sure that would be great for me.

There are also retirement communities for the seasonal folks. 

Most of the older less tech savvy crowd prefer this method.

When my kids get older that may become a more attractive option.Doesn't making payments on the HELOC negate any profit from the second property? 

Super sweet older couple.