Our mortgage was significantly higher than our flood insurance, and I don't know if we qualify to try to apply for FEMA or if there is other assistance, and if so, if we would apply as a business (we file it on our personal taxes as rental income).

@Dennis Boettjer, I will echo's Brian's comment and add: also take a look at some of the threads in the Syndications review forum: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/960I do not mean this as a "here are people to invest in or avoid", as there are some groups going through current issues that, personally, I would qualify as fairly strong syndicators, overall.  

Rather than commenting on such a broad question, I generally ask some qualifying questions like:1.

Many don't qualify for low down payment/FHA for a variety of reasons, especially the ones sub 200K. 

(Because of my podcast, I have access to many of them for one-hour discussions, but I know all of them would give a qualified investor 30 minutes at any time.)

To qualify for debt, lenders generally look at net worth (aim for the loan amount), liquidity (10% post-close), experience, and a solid credit score (ideally 680+).

It also depends on the situation sometimes a HELOC is warranted for short term financial needs so long as you have a plan to get back in the same or better financial position afterwards and the "means," and "will," to carry out this financial or mortgage plan- HELOC's are typically full documentation qualifying loans so you'll need actual income to qualify whether it be from pension, insurance, rental's, etc that are all fully documented on taxes, W2's, 1099 forms, etc.

We will allow you to use a new employment contract as qualifying income 6-12 months prior to your start date.  

If she's currently on Medicare but is trying to qualify for Medicaid, in some states the home can be kept if there's an intention to return (thus the allowable "caretaker"), but it will be subject to asset recovery upon their death, making it hard for the family to keep the home. 

@Elliot Angus To structure this deal, consult a Qualified Intermediary (QI) for 1031 compliance, a real estate attorney for seller-finance terms, and a CPA to ensure tax deferral.