I'm new to the real estate game.

I know when i travel to hotels ( which is almost every month) I check for coffee pods and will choose hotel that has them  then i bring my own pods LOL  unless its a real high end hotel and they have the ultra coffee makers  do your cleaners know how to clean the water repository on a Keurig?

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

My recommendation is to see if you can work for a company in real estate or wholesaling that way you get training and education while getting paid 

Once the HELOC is in place, your father-in-law could loan you the funds to invest in real estate.

And how much progress has be made?

Also, it can avoid filing an amendment.Another great point on eligibility- SEP IRAs require net self-employment income from activities like 1099 contract work, real estate sales, wholesaling, or other self-employment business income.Passive income as you have highlighted, does not qualify. 

Hi Chris,Start by networking through BiggerPockets, local real estate meetups, LinkedIn, and self-storage investor groups.

When it comes to getting loans, which is pretty important for real estate investors, simple "mistakes" can make it so that you either don't qualify or you may qualify but with a higher interest rate or higher loan fees. 

As a real estate investor, I’ve learned the hard way about the mistakes that can cost time and deals.