Yes, it can be harder to get funding without a traditional W-2 income.

Glad my post led you here @Tanya JonesThey do a good job with the sales pitch and I have no doubt that someone very motivated, who had the funds but needed some real help and direction would definitely benefit from the training they offer. 

But your role is simply "fund manager". 

The buyers are reluctant to mortgage the property, so we have been looking at various ways to attract equity to fund the initial down payment.

Brian you take your land basis and add in legal costs, labor costs, material costs,usually 10% contingency fund, other fees, etc. to get your overall cost per sq ft.Then you find out cap rate for sale with a newly minted lease local to your area with 15 years on it.

Even if you could use a credit card as a down payment it's not wise because owning property requires reserve funds (especially in this asset class). 

My mother has offered me to sign on to her HELOC at a 4% rate to fund the repairs.

I was wondering what avenues you’ve taken to fund your initial investment property (preferably buy and hold)?

If you commingle funds and have bad books etc.

Once they get 1% of landlords revenue I could see it going up to 2% ,3% in the next years .On the related note San Francisco is also proposing an additional tax on businesses for the homeless . https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/17/san-francisco-to-consider-tax-on-companies-to-help-homeless.html——OAKLAND — As the Bay Area struggles with an alarming homelessness crisis, voters may soon decide whether to force Oakland’s biggest landlords to pay up to help house the city’s most vulnerable residents.Oakland Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan wants to impose an extra 1 percent annual tax on rental revenue that exceeds $200,000, and use that money to fund homeless shelters, help homeless residents secure permanent housing and clean up the sprawling encampments that line many of the city’s sidewalks.The city needs more money to tackle the problem, and collecting it from Oakland’s biggest-earning landlords makes sense, Kaplan said.