I would also like to get into larger apartment units in the future, as my company grows.

They explained to me that they are trying to liquidate their properties for a massive project.

You may need a larger down payment or a lower purchase price to make it work.Do a worst case analysis: what's the ROI if  you go all cash - - it that doesn't work, then abort and stop fussing as it would never pan out.

So in my position, would I be best off growing my capital by other means but keeping it liquid to jump on opportunities upon a correction?

i think it best if you contact 3 - 4 larger firms and speak with the managing broker about what you want.  

It was my primary residence until I moved into a larger home.

I don't have that kind of liquid cash, so I'll have to take out an equity loan on my primary residence.

The difference could be around 50K since the carrying cost is part of the buy & hold strategy and a flipper would want to put more money into repairs/landscaping.Should I really try and feel out the seller a bit more or is there a larger group of investors for one vs the other?

You might need to consider a larger rehab budget.

If so, you could use your second from the first property to acquire the next property and refinance it to liquidate equity for the next one.