Hey Olga,You don't have to take out all the money on the Heloc.

I know it is a tax on money I didn't pay tax on for all those 30 years, but it still feels like that is unjust somehow.

You can rent that out as well on months your not there and ultimately refinance down the road to pull cash out and transition into a full time LTR or short term rental VRBO to make more money.

Maybe look at posts such as thesehttps://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/real-es...

She's costing me money.

Anyone know where I can borrow earnest money?

Dividends give you cash flow but usually very little.With Real Estate, you make money 4 ways:- Appreciation (forced vs natural).

Hi All, I have been interested in REI for a number of years, but always let hurdles (primarily not enough money) keep me from really starting my journey. 

When you run your comps, are you using comps from when you got the hard money loan, or are you pulling fresh comps before your refinance?

The idea that you can build wealth without putting any money into it is a recipe for disaster and the sales pitch of gurus trying to steal your money.