You do see it in Boston, increasingly more every day, but that's the only place I've seen it commonly in this area.

It may not have a swimming pool and common amenities but good quality construction.  

That's fairly common.

I understand why Melanie is saying that you should work thru the listing agent to get a better deal - its a pretty common belief- but the reality is you shouldn’t get a better deal by working thru the listing agent, if anything you may not get the best deal possible because you aren’t represented.  

for me personally the only one I would trust to make a small business loan is my local commercial banker or credit union.even if they don't rip you off for advance fee's which is so common.. they never do end up funding.. business loans unless they are credit cards  are very tough to get.. if your getting a unsecured 500k business loanmeans you have at least 1 million in liquid cash and or securities.. 

@David Greiner the most common "porfolio" or "commercial" loan in my market is a 20 year, Adjustable Rate Mortgage.  

More commonly used in commercial but why not in your case.

When considering an area such as Austin or Round Rock, a lot of those common metrics support the likelihood of continued growth. 

I looked into HELOCs but from what I've read they aren't very common on investment properties and even less so in SC.

If you choose to work with people who have investing experience, they should be able to help you avoid common pitfalls.