Fortunately many houses come with an unfinished basement as an afterthought and the sellers are clueless as to the value lying there. 

As a result, I intend to begin wholesaling to generate funds that will eventually allow me to pursue long-term buy-and-hold investments.I look forward to networking with all of you and am excited about the opportunities for growth and learning that lie ahead.

So I don´t know if this a total lie or if she just wanted to sell their insurance policy. 

They can't lie to you about this without repercussions....It may be nothing, but if it is, foundation repairs are expensive,,,!

The challenge lies in the fact that everyone is paying way higher than the listing and comparable prices for homes in the area.

In my opinion, the answer to your question lies in what you project the expenses of the sales side of the business will be. 

I guess the answer lies in what their goals are.

However, it demands strategic and cautious handling.The advantage lies in accessing capital without selling existing investments, but the risk involves putting your primary residence on the line if you can't meet the loan obligations.A HELOC should not be your primary choice, as it carries more risk than a traditional mortgage with higher interest rates.Considering your stable income and disciplined approach to investing, focus on saving for the down payment.

Call previous landlords... including two back (the current landlord may be incentivized to lie to get rid of a bad tenant).

I know some people online say that the government covers repairs but I haven't seen that in any of the documentation and from what I've heard from fellow investors that is a lie.