I’m an insurance broker who works in all 50 states and I see far too often people, and RE investors especially, do not have their liability separated out correctly to mitigate their personal risk..Over and over I get the same types of questions when insuring a portfolio (of any size) from people who do notnfIlly understand the lIabIlIty they are exposed to..What questIons do you often have about where your liability extends to or what you’re exposed to?

Some thoughts on your situation overall:In terms of vetting, I personally there is a limit to how much you can mitigate risks when working with a smaller contractor.

Why would you invest for 2% to 4% with risks of damages, nonpayment of rent, etc. when you can do the same with zero risk CD's?

Personally, if you have funded the JV and argued e fronting those costs, I think 50/50 is skewed towards the contractor, because he isn't assuming any financial risk.

Even your most honorable contractor runs the risk of becoming crooked when you pay him/her for work not done.He should have had 50% of the Money for 75%of the work done.

But when it does become a problem, the bulk of the risk is really on the lender, not the borrower. 

He's going to lose money, if he reduces the price any further, but we had to break the news to him that his property is priced too high  He has priced the property based upon the $ he has put into the home, not based upon what his specific market will bare. 

My fingerprinting and clearance by the "agencies" was completed without any issue (as expected).What can I do to help a prospective landlord in my new city (hi there NOVA) not view me as a risk?

The platform may allow investment by accredited investors only or be open to almost anyoneEach has advantages and disadvantages.The portals that allow anyone to post a deal have not been very successful and they will probably remain a fringe categoryMany investors are familiar with the big players in the industry that provide access to deals sponsored by numerous parties.As an example of a single sponsor platform I will use our own.In the last two years we crowdfunded/syndicated 26 real estate debt deals, raising just over $46,000,000.00 and two months ago completed our first equity raise, raising $1,700,000.00.Additionally, we did a co raise with a major real estate debt crowdfunding portal that was primarily residential and wanted to move into the commercial space.I will tell you that despite many similarities, no two portals operate the same, and there are major differences in deal type, vetting, costs, risks, returns, and transparancy.Keep watching this arena.

A few hundred extra dollars with the reduced interest will really add up quickly.That said for experienced investors who know how to make better returns on their money I recommend against it.