Brokerage can give you reps, pattern recognition, and access to opportunities faster than most degrees.College isn’t useless, but the major matters less than the network and the skills you build.

In addition to @Jeremy Taggart advice, I’d focus on leveling up your HVAC skills and really learning the business with the long-term goal of owning your own company one day.Use that HVAC income to stack cash and start building a real estate portfolio.

Looking at Large MF complexes selling for multiple millions, is there a good way to jump up to that level without having millions of cash on hand?

Your PM skills translate well to real estate, especially for wholesaling.

Your construction skills are huge - buy something that needs work in Worcester/Springfield area, live in one unit, rent the others.

When an investor wants to do a flip, it is very time consuming if that person has another job a project management with a handyman skills can be very useful.Best luck on this new journey.

.• Collective loan delinquencies: highest level since 2017• Student loan delinquencies: 16.3%• Wage garnishments restarting• Credit score drops in many cases exceeding 100 points• U.S. adult optimism: 59.2% — the lowest Gallup has ever recorded• 30-year fixed mortgage rate: 5.74%• Louisville active listings: 3,076• Months of supply: just over 2.5• Fix-and-Flip Market Index: largest quarterly gain in three yearsThat’s the landscape.When delinquencies reach the highest level since 2017 and garnishments resume, liquidity tightens.

What foundational skills or knowledge should we prioritize at this stage?

A lot of investor agents are very lazy/basic at selling properties they just do the minimum for listing and retail agents tend to be good at marketing listing but do not know enough about investment properties, so it is very easy to destroy the competition having both skills. 

When to use a HELOC or cash-out refiUse equity after you prove to yourself that you can operate rentals well.A HELOC should be used as:A bridge tool, not long-term capitalA way to avoid being cash-poor during rehabA buffer for emergenciesOnce you’ve done 1–2 deals and feel comfortable underwriting and managing risk, then you can use HELOC funds to accelerate.But leveraging heavily too early is how good investors become stressed investors.If I were in your shoes, here’s the exact sequence I’d follow:Use the $100K to buy a simple, cash-flowing out-of-state rental or light BRRRR.Get that first property stabilized.Evaluate your comfort level and skill after 6–12 months.Then consider a small HELOC to scale into your second and third properties.This path lets you grow safely, gain real experience, and protect the home that gives you the strongest financial foundation.