Fix the credit first. The HELOC question only makes sense once that foundation is solid. Jeb's take is straightforward: if your credit is not good, repair it before you go shopping for a second property. Credit drives your rate, how much you qualify for, and the terms on every piece of the deal, and raising a score is usually easier than people assume. We agree completely. Good credit sits right alongside real savings and stable income as the foundation, and taking on investment-property financing before those three are solid tends to lock in worse terms across the board. On the timeline, we commonly see people move from around 580 into the mid-600s in roughly three to six months, and from the mid-600s into the mid-700s in another three to six, when they commit to the work. We cannot promise anyone a specific number, but the pattern is consistent. On the HELOC itself: using a line on your current home to fund a down payment can work, but the new payment counts against your debt ratio and the borrowed money costs you every month, so the move only makes sense once your credit and cash flow can carry both properties. Get the score right first, then run the actual numbers on the two-property plan. That second part is exactly what the free Roadmap conversation is for.