I'm new to real estate investing and just wanted to get some advice, input, and constructive criticism on using a HELOC as a down payment to purchase my first investment property.

Hello fellow real estate agents and investors,I am in the market to purchase a customer relationship manager (CRM) platform for my growing real estate business and am curious if anyone has personalized feedback on the platform you are using/have used?

When referring to (Like kind) it focuses on the use of the property and not so much the type of real estate.

@Kenneth Soles  I have done this too many times to count.and after all the years of dealing with folks that lost their home be it tax foreclosure ( very very rare on the west coast by the way)  or Trustee or Sherrifs sale ( most common).Rent back can work but usually turns into an eviction shortly .Sell it back is another pipe dream.. unless your willing to owner finance it.. then you have the dodd frank stuff if you want to be letter of the law compliant.

You could house hack a few Cleveland multifamily properties, then make your way to Columbus, which is one of the top real estate markets in the country. 

Simple solution: Inform them that unfortunately you can’t accept ESA letters without being able to verify the validity of the letter by speaking with the local licensed mental health professional who prescribed them their ESA, so that you can verify that they have a legitimate disability requiring an ESA as well as that whoever prescribed it to them is a real licensed mental health professional who has an ongoing relationship with them beyond just receiving a one-time payment to “prescribe” the ESA. 

I found the deal through a family friend who is a real estate agent.

Hey folks!

After the fix I want to put it on the market so I can pursue other real estate opportunities.

You may pay a bit more and make a little less, but playing the long term game is key in real estate.The types of structures could be lump sum (one price) or cost plus (meaning you pay the cost of material and labor plus a flat fee—more of an open-book model).I see some investors who want to pay for ALL the materials, which is excellent for the investor (more control of finishes & cost) and general contractor (if they are getting paid well).