I am thinking about actively trying to grow my investment portfolio and use my existing properties as leverage to acquire more properties.

In this particular case, I have a property I'd like to get a HELOC on to then buy another property.

Years ago, I could file claims for small, even minimal, damages on my rental properties, like a few fence pieces blown off during a storm.

His company manages mine and has got some great properties

I know other investors bought the property and sold it after a rehab and still made money. 

Some of my properties insurance and taxes go up over $200 every year.

I have a rental property that used to be our primary residence.

@Jeremy Altdorfer I’ve never gotten more than 1 years worth of information and have bought some properties when they were empty with no known numbers.

We have a pretty solid lease that has served us well on our properties but on the most recent move-out by a long-term tenant that always paid early, we had to clean from floor to ceiling and everything in between. 

They may seem attractive on a spreadsheet if you are chasing cash flow, but the fundamentals are not as strong and these properties are  disproportionately impacted by capex and operating costs.