4 unit multi family versus 5 and above

[Robert Jordan]

I am looking for advice. I have currently have 2 SFH rentals that are both performing well. They cash flow 2k a month with over 600k in appreciation. I am looking to capitalize on the appreciation and scale my operation to multi-family. A few deals I have found. One is a $1.4 mill 7 unit property and the other is a 750k 3 unit. I have run the numbers and both will cash flow with 20% down and mid 5 interest rates (the larger property has a higher return). Ideally I would like to get a deal done without selling either of my SFH. I only have about 30k in cash on hand for a down payment. Should I focus on the tri-plex, or one like it, because a loan might be easier to obtain? Thoughts on HELOC for down payments? Thoughts on selling one of the SFH to get the down payment? I am pretty new to this so any advice is valuable.