On my first wholesale deal, I did what you mentioned, and I spent a small amount $2K fixing the house up to make it more appealing.

@Trenton   I have and i had a few local brokers that mentioned they would assist but  no luck.   

As you mentioned, I like the HELOC because of the flexibility, which makes it ideal for BRRRR and rehabs where you can cycle the money over an over and it costs you nothing when you aren't using it.

Like you mentioned, you can even use it for Assisted living facilities (ALF) but an officer ( I think Fire marshall dept) will need to inspect and provide Certificate of occupancy. 

I did forget to mention that I will be leveraging my Realtor License for MLS access and a slight discount on purchase.

You mentioned checking out some real estate investment meetups, but that you'd probably not invest locally.

Like i mentioned before everyone i spoke to said they paid in the $4000 to $5000 range to close not including their down payment.

Thanks for the mention @Jay Helms  Hey Cory,You’re a smart man for taking these steps before you make a huge decision. 

The reason I mention APS is because these are disabled seniors who are at risk of becoming homeless and APS staff can certainly point you in the right direction.  

I would like to continue to develop that relationship and remember him mentioning to let him know about any deals I find.