Thanks John,I appreciate your quick response I will reach out to lenders to see about tapping into that equity.

Home is located in the best school district in Louisiana and would go quick, whether I sell or rent. 

So, I'm very interested in prospect of using a portion of my net worth to invest in real estate now before this opportunity is lost (i.e. from not being able to get a mortgage, or at least as good of one, post-quitting)*.So, I'm looking to try to acquire my first rental property during the week of 7/3-7/10 - which is when I'll be in the area I'm looking to invest in, and be living long-term starting in August (aside from traveling 90% of the year).I've watched a handful of YT videos and read some blogs on real estate investing in the last day, but I'm looking for any quick advice that might make a big difference.

2: Are you getting the promised return?

A quick Craigslist search for housing shows a 1br at $1000, a 2br at $1500, and a 3br at $1600.

Needless to say, I immediately called my lawyer and sent her all of the documentation and statements he had made to me, and all of his promises and instances where he pushed back the owed money.

So I'm surprised by the minimalist bookkeeping.Thanks @Linda Weygant....I had the same thought about the IRS: I bet if they were audited they'd come up with some figures pretty quick!

IMHO, treating your investors right and keeping your promises is the best way to avoid problems with an investor but it's a good feeling to know we're well covered in case things go bad.

They are a low cost of entry so I don't see much harm in putting 3 or 4 on your property and seeing how quickly you rent them out.

As @Andrew Beauchemin mentioned in his post, the availability of that information will definitely make things move more quickly.