-What would be an example of how a partner could make things easier in this scenario?

If you have to finance a down payment, you probably are not in a good position to be an investor.

The guy must really be an idiot.  

For me the idea is to be an investor with integrity and work with other investors with integrity, so hopefully if another investor sees me bringing a decent deal to them, their first thought will not be to immediately cut me out of the deal so we can establish what I like to call a ‘business relationship’.I understand the benefits of being a licensed real estate agent and have definitely heard pros and cons to being licensed as an investor.

HELOC stands for Home Equity Line of Credit so that will only be an option for you if you already have a house that has equity in it.If you're looking to get started, do some research on lenders and mortgage companies in your state.

Thanks.Brace Bean

Security may be an issue @Bosko Mijatovic I managed one property that was boarded up.

There might be an uptick in Section 8 demand considering the safety net of gauranteed rent, often which pays for PITI even if the tenant doesn'\can't pay their portion.

You also do not NEED your RE license in order to be an investor.That being said, here are many routes within the RE industry that you can take - RE Attorney, property manager, project manager, Realtor, construction, and more.You may find that a career in finance, marketing, the restaurant industry, or any other field can get you to your RE investing goal sooner.2.

This may be an unpopular point of view but I'd pay it if you can.