They will allow your mortgage payment and any personal debt payments (credit cards, cars, etc) to reach about 45% of your monthly income.Programs vary all over the place so it's best to ask a mortgage broker which programs you qualify for.They like two years on the job, rent paid on time, no liens or judgments, pay stubs, tax returns and so on.FHA has a 3.5% down program plus closing costs.

But I get it if you can invest 500.00 U certainly cant buy whole notes or secured positions with such a small amount. becomes a personal decisions make 7.5% with risk of losing it all or buy T bills for about 5% with zero risk.. its up to the individual investors.

My next step after posting this is to reach out to a few similar hosts for the style of property I am looking to invest in and see how well they do on a personal level.

I personally use US Bank [Big stable bank with Zelle capabilities], Relay [Checking and Savings 3%] and then Quickbooks [high interest rate 5%].

Find a group or person that can give you both education and mentoring. 

Thank you for sharing on such a personal subject.

I was confused about how to file taxes and separate tax deductibles from personal and business filing, as a H1B holder.

It also takes a personal guarantee from the borrower.  

The value add will include TI's and renting out the 50% of the square feet that is vacant.The hangup is that in a TIC structure we have learned that every person must bring money into the deal to achieve an equitable split.

Agreed with @Jason Wray I am heavily involved in the 2nd lien market and don't know of any lenders doing HELOCs in the 3rd position.