Also, I will be at BPCon this year, and love connecting with pros to share best practices.

@Chris Seveney beat me to the post of what I was thinking; if you already own the boat, especially free & clear, and have no kids, I would go Option 1. 

They can work well for certain deals, especially if you’re doing volume and fit inside their box.That said, for investors looking for more flexibility, speed, or one-on-one deal structuring, I’ve noticed a lot of people get better traction working with a relationship-based lender — someone who actually looks at your deal and finds a way to make it work (vs. just punching it into a system).Happy to share what I’ve seen work recently and how a few investors I know were able to close faster or with better terms by going the personalized route.

Once you're ready to scale beyond HELOCs, exploring Fix & Flip or rental financing options could help you grow faster without tying up all your home equity.Happy to support you on your REI journey!

Flipping houses is how I’m trying to grow my money faster.

To identify them, you’ll want to do a cost segregation study, which breaks down your total building cost into categories that allow faster depreciation.There are a couple of things to watch out for.

That way, the pages load faster and get indexed properly.

As long as you can tell if it is a good deal, let them beat the bushes to find the properties and you just close them.

I'll be at the next one.  

Sometimes less strict than FHA, depending on the lender.USDA loans: 0% down if you’re buying in a qualifying rural area.VA loans: If you ever go the military route (0% down, no PMI).House hacking: Buy a home (or small multi-unit if it makes sense later), live in one part, rent out the rest to cover the mortgage.Partnering: If you bring hustle, time, and education, there are people with capital who might team up with you once you build trust.Private money or hard money: Usually for flips or BRRRR deals — not great for a first buy-and-hold, but worth learning about.Between now and 18, focus on:Building your credit (secured card, on-time payments)Saving aggressivelyLearning the numbers and analyzing deals every dayConnecting with local investors, agents, or mentorsYou're on the right path — stay consistent and that first deal will come faster than you think.