Life circumstances changed and we ended up living out of state and renting it out.

Yes correct, on all of that  Rehab I can do it all built houses all my life,Work for a sewer excavation company currently   sewer mainline needs fixed if I want to flip it $7,000Roof I would redo ($4500) has metal on it now but looks original Vinyl windows ($1500)I haven’t seen inside of it yet, but renters been there 15 years so kitchen remodel $10kAnd then possibly bathroom and flooring.

Anyway, just something to think about.At the end of the day you are personally responsible for the success or failure of your business so you need to decide how you want to run it.

Here are a few I recommend: "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Roberto Kiyosaki; "Set for Life" by Scott Trench; "The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing" by Spencer; "The BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide" found here on BP; "The Book on Rental Property Investing" by Brandon Tuner.

@Jake Mercer would be a good person to reach out to and so would be @Fakaradin Floyd.

If anyone is on a tight deadline, I would definite suggest going down in person.

While I am fine renting while I search for the right investment, my dream would be to build (for my own personal home).

Statistically, 20% down dramatically reduces the risk of foreclosure.TERMS:Interest rates: Some people like to raise their interest rates higher than what a person can get at the bank. 

If your income is strong and taxes are accurately reported, you have a shot. 90% of investors write off more than they make so this upside down calculation is what causes the average person to qualify for HELOCs.

This is since 1) there's no penalty for age so it doesn't matter when you use it 2) the longer the retirement asset exists the more chance it has to grow tax deferred or tax free 3)if you are retirement age then using your personal assets first will likely place you in the lowest possible tax bracket when you start drawing those funds.