If that is the case, you sell the house, pay off the HELOC, and use the $15-$20,000 to get into a new house.  

DIY will be the "cheapest" - you can set up an account on the MA DOR website, register your LLC, you pay over the whopping $500 MA charges you to register an LLC, and voila, you are off to the races.

When I purchase my rentals, I have/use a large HELOC that i have on my primary residence to pay for the investment property in cash and also use the HELOC to renovate the property.

Some great answers, my intent would not be to spend the $$ on the investment property but to pay off the mortgage on the primary.

I’m 41 a mom of 3 and working on paying off my second home through owner financing.

Insurance would cover it, I would pay the deductible, and no assets would be lost.If you are in an area like San Diego where people are more likely to sue, a judge is more likely to find you guilty, and the payout is expected to be higher, you may consider an umbrella insurance policy.

There are investors out there that put large amounts down, such as 50% or more and those that pay cash.

The duplexes had 3 of 4 units rented, and only one tenant is actually paying rent.

I mean… Would we even get THAT much more in the end with a realtor, given that (as I understand it), most investors pay all closing costs and we wouldn’t have to pay a realtor fee?

So now my next purchase is going to be solely with the goal of cash flow in mind to help offset what I'm currently paying out of pocket.