The primary residence exclusion is $250k per person on title.

I ended up maxing out the HELOC while I watched my rate climb to 11.5%.So lessons learned... at least for me personally I kind of got addicted to acquisitions.

I would network in person or in FB groups. 2-3 months to close is crazy.

I would recommend anyone lending in this environment to fix and flippers or any type of investment to be careful and get a personal guaranty and make sure person has a long track record.

More due diligence and follow up, does this person have a job that's consistent for at least a year?

instead, why not find a market 1-2 hours away where you can be hands-on / in-person?

I’d recommend checking local investor groups or networking with other landlords in Memphis to get recommendations for more competitive options.One company I’d personally recommend looking into is RiverTown Realty.

In our experience, Remote Investing requires finding a PMC that takes the time to understand an owner's expectations and discusses if & how they can be met.A common problem is a percentage of Remote Investors expecting their PMC to be a personal assistant.

My personal goal is to build a rental protfolio, but I'm open to anything.Thanks in advance. 

I personally use Vanguard, but I know others like Schwab and Fidelity also have solid options.