Quote from @Jaikevis Reams: In order to put a property under contract I need to provide proof of funds I know that I can get that from a hard money lender but I don’t meet there criteria for a loan approval what should I do? 

Charge the tenants a higher rent rate and include utilities with their rent.

Once the property is sold we will be able to pay off the HELOC and will also have further funds coming in the following year.

@JD Martin agree 10,000%What I am surprised about is I had a call with someone in Austin today and in sw Florida and they both said things are awful and prices are dropping at high rates - curious don't hear as much chatter here about that as it could be an opportunity 

There are quite a number of things that can make utilizing an FHA loan more difficult such as more barriers during appraisal, appearance of low qualification/little cash, typically longer closing period, likely higher interest rate, and PMI cannot be dropped without a refinance if 3.5% down.That said, just chain 5% down conventional loans, and make sure your duplexes pay for themselves.  

How do you go about determining market rate?

I've tracked my metrics over the years and I'm getting 99% hit rates with fewer than 1% wrong number percentages.

We are planning to hold it for 5 years and bought a rate cap to cover the entire hold period. 

Fortunately at my rate they have some cash flow and good appreciation.The rates make it rare that the brrrr is the best option available.  

Remember, I sent a signed and amended the agreement on November 28th, sent it to them for signature, received confirmation of their receipt, wired funds, requested multiple times they send me the fully executed agreement, never received a fully executed copy back from them and finally was questioned by them yesterday as to why I altered the agreement (meaning there was no meeting of the minds since it's therefore proven that they didn't even look at it).I have rescinded my offer to enter into a contract with Estate Legal for lead generation services and am now seeking a full refund, including my cost of wiring the funds.