We don’t plan to leave jobs and live off of the portfolio but have it as a wealth generator aka hedge against future risks

If I convert those monthly nets into annual nets and plug those in to see what amounts of cash in would lead to those results in each case, I come up with:Scenario 1: $2000/month ($24000 annual) to equal a 12% return means you're in $200,000 cash. 

I know a broker who spends like 20k - 30k per year in buying leads, paying for blast emails, buying lists of names of investors, etc.I like to meet people on the personal level first, I feel like people are way more responsive if at first I help them by answering questions, or offering advice, provide them with incite, etc.Most people do not know what they are getting into in those first deals, which is why we hear so many nightmare stories. 

The answer is to value this as any other business generating income, not just stick within the confined box of valuing the real estate only.  

This will be a generational MF opportunity, akin to 2008 SFR.

What you would want to evaluate is the income generated from the income-producing property(s) to see if the income from your rentals would cover the cost of your new HELOC payment.

These markets tend to attract a lot of investor activity, which can drive prices up, leading local homeowners to take on more debt to afford homes in their area."

YOu get on  a big team so you are fed leads with NO cost.

Even moving for work (not switching jobs) usually has a reasonable lead time.Yes, your other concerns are also valid.BTW, if I want to verify a bank statement, I ask them to bring it up on the app and show me.

It's been generating an average monthly profit of $1,000.