Should I take out a HELOC or HEL on my primary residence, and use the funds from that to make a down payment on additional properties and then obtain a conventional mortgage on them?

In today's current lending environment, no matter where the asset is, a line of credit on an investment property, through a conventional lender, is almost near impossible to obtain. 

I was told that my two ongoing flip projects (under my LLC with a partner) would be included as debt in my DTI ratio and therefore wouldn’t qualify for my jumbo conventional cash out refi option (seeking $540k note).

The first property we had inspected is in great shape and we were asked to fix a handrail and replace a battery in a smoke detector( simple $150 charge for the inspection and $20 for me to fix).

- Can we charge her the extra for the "service" dog?

Conventional loan while utilizing your HELOC for the down payment would be the cheapest option across the board. 

The same company is now charging $850.

They charged to come back and fix, and one still isn't working. 

Add 1-2% to what banks charge for interest .

Also I realize this is a huge jump to make for a first time investor on a property valued so high, but I figured the terms were amazing and I am having a difficult time getting approved for conventional loans to start smaller.