Whether you're trying to sell or lease the unit, a prospective buyer/tenant will be IMMEDIATELY turned off if the current tenant opens the door and says, "What the heck, I was never told you were coming."

The property is just a hassle (and some years it's an alligator), and I'd like to get it off my hands and put the money elsewhere.

My brother and I want to get into real estate investing for passive income, and we’re thinking about starting off with a duplex in a year or two after saving some money, that we can live in and rent other unit(s). 

So could I just use my HELOC to pay off the card right before they report my balance to the credit bureaus each month? 

There is also one big issue with your tax projection - the taxes of $280 are based on the vacant land taxes and will likely go up to ~$2000-$3000 in a year or so when the assessor catches up with you.I realize there is a 1031 involved so a real estate purchase is necessary, but you should compare your ROI to a safe yielding instrument like a 10 year T-note or AAA corporate bond yield. 

Write down your goals, plans, and systems on paper. 

The seller was trying to pay a large amount of taxes and had had not really stayed on top of his manager so I asked for the free six weeks to bring it up to full swing.

First off you have about 20 hours of videos before you even begin.

It's a bet on the future appreciation, maybe generates enough income in the meantime to pay taxes and insurance, chances are no cash flow. 

I had many on Bigger Pockets that initially thought I was off base, cruel and heartless..