The idea is to secure a HELOC on their home (I'm open to other suggestions) in order to invest in income properties out of state.  

I'm a little nervous about the whole auction thing, whether a private auction or a sheriff's sale.

I use private money or hard money or my own cash and buy the house at the negotiated price. 

You can look towards investing within private mortgage corporations but their underlying assets will, in all likelihood, be in Canada. 

Image if I had 30, just 3 x those numbers.Directly investing in a turnkey rental or small MFH is a good way to start to learn and build up the war chest to go into my scaleable investments such as private placement syndications.

Hard money, private lenders and bringing in a partner are other options.

It may be one of the most negotiable loans.Another way to get a loan might be Private Lenders. 

., (b) the type that allows alternatives but doesn't give you direct control over your money, and (c) Checkbook 401k that gives you total control and flexibility to invest in real estate, private lending, etc. 

Keep your common areas well lit, especially the laundry rooms if you have them.Reduce any security issues. 

I even went with 2 private REIT's with small positions just for fun.