A HELOC will definitely help you with the costs.The next thing you will need is a general budget for each project you are going to tackle and that should keep you on track.The kitchen can be the most difficult especially when you are living in it.

Granite taste on a banquet budget?

The top of the budget is $375,000.They are open to finished places as well so if you have a place your looking to list soon that meets the criteria let me know before you sign the listing contract.  

The masses seem to preach direct mail as the tried and true way, but like Alex mentioned, in this competitive market is direct mail a viable option for those who don't have a budget of $3,000+/month.Any feedback and statistics (response rates, deal conversion rates etc.) from people currently doing direct mail in SoCal would be greatly appreciated. 

Budget is too tight and it's not really needed here.

Given the fact I am a contractor, it's much easier to assess rehab budgets on the fly but still there will be unknowns.  

If I were to flip again (which I plan at some point) I will either hire a contractor that I have built a relationship with and factor those costs into the budget or I will leave my day job to become a full time investor and help subsidize some of the contractor costs.Troy

In the bronx you may be able to find a two family starting at 450K but thats still out of your budget

They always go 1,000s of dollars over budget, find repairs that should have been caught in the inspection, and estimate the ARV wrong.

When you send direct mail out, you choose the postage type that meets your needs and budget.