Most of the investors that I work with have a few properties; I'd say most have a portfolio of 5 or fewer.

I've used the HELOC method that you allude to above to build my portfolio and it's been great for us.

My issue is if we stop and move into a single family, our ability to continue to build our real estate portfolio essentially disappears.

Ultimately I'm looking to build out a strong portfolio of passive income generating properties.  

I wanted this 8 unit for my rental portfolio, talking to an experienced flipper (15 Yrs.) he wants to partner with me on the deal.

If there’s a slip and a lawsuit I’d hate to lose the entire portfolio over some fraudster .

One of the biggest drains on a portfolio are vacancies and turnovers.

Also many around Syracuse University (SU) are bought/sold as part of a long-held portfolio and often the owner does not want to parcel them out.

I cashed out 100% of my NON-retirement investment accounts in late 2017 and funded my RE portfolio growth, growing to 20 units. 

At the time, I had no idea how to set up a system for long-distance investing so never pulled the trigger.Now that I live in the Midwest, I am interested in building a real estate portfolio to help with retirement and to leave a legacy for my kids.