People told me the exact same thing when I was buying sf houses right after the bust. 

I’m looking to start with a long term buy and hold deal - your concern about HELOC is what I was worried about.

We started buying single and multi-family properties for the cash flow.  

SELL it , keep the 90k profit and re-invest it to buy a multi family property in a different state?

I bought a course, but you can do it without buying one.

And I know you'll figure out how to buy that next property.Gino

Don’t the closing costs from buying and selling an investment property eat up all the appreciation (and mortgage principal paydown)?

Crosby as well (from what I have read).Prices are still quite high so you have to buy right and in the right area in order to stay profitable.

I personally started by buying a cheap crappy duplex.

Yes you can buy properties extremely cheap there but the flipside is that once yoI've rehabbed them, recouping your rehab and purchase money will prove difficult because of the low property values .