I am not a broker, so I use a broker to originate our loans, according to the process I outlined above.I do recognize the privacy issues with recording a note and accept this as a vote against doing it.

You are at the right location to find like minded people, and should have no problem being able to reach your RE investing goals.There are countless stories both in the forms and BP blogs that outline this specific technique you have used to get started, and can help you get to the next level.  

I'd subtract the penalty (if it was outlined in your lease, that is) and any damage from the deposit and move on.Surprised you are getting lower rent, rents are skyrocketing in SW WA.

This is usually 8-12% of the rent collected.Any additional fees should be outlined in their property management agreement - ask for a blank copy and make sure you read the fine print.As a property manager myself, I personally believe that filling out a lease form is part of #1 above, and renewing a tenant's lease is part of #2 (and makes my job easier in the long run), so I don't charge for these. 

Then this lien shows up and the parcel outline was the street in front of about 4 homes including the Chicago band member.

Bring that back to the seller and say you need a discount for the work outlined to bring the property to market value. 

Once you have your goals outlined you can determine what the best way to reach those goals are and how to best use your HELOC.

I’m researching which makes more sense for me: Real Estate Investing (House Hacking and Investing in Multi-Family Rental Properties) or Starting an Online Business (Millionaire Fastlane style: search for a problem to solve and start a company around that).This video called How to Research Any Topic outlines a simple approach to help make informed decisions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Multi-family is not out of the question, but will need to learn more.I am a CPA and work in corporate finance for a large public company and understand and am attracted to the basic economics of REI.Re-locating to Houston in Aug and will be starting business thereFrom reading biggerpockets posts, clear that I need to build a strong network and attend as many networking events as possible to build deal flow/pipeline, find a mentor, meet brokers, develop relationships with contractors etcInitial areas of focusResearch and outline investment strategyIdentify investment criteriaIdentify and attend networking eventsMake contact with agents and generate opportunitiesIdentify potential mentorsCreate business cardsI'd welcome any general reaction or feedback from this community on the above plan, and, in particular, any thoughts on where I should initially invest my time and resources. 

Is there a website or a doc that outlines each and every step to do that ?