In addition, as a learning experience they can try alternate rent models such as rent by room, STR, MTR. 

Are you just considering a bunch of alternatives?

In the alternative,  you can have a partnership agreement between your LLC and your partner.

If you are looking for more cost-effective options you can try roor.io or salesmate.io I have not used them yet but I am looking into them for alternate solutions.

I am looking for an alternative to Avail for lease signing and monthly rent collection for my 2 rental properties, and this company seems like it might be a winner.

fix-it-all (joint compound with some additives) is not suitable for exterior at allYes it will wick in water as the paint deteriorates, and cause more rot, and keeping a good coat of paint on it won't be enough long-term in many/most climates.bondo (polyester auto body resin) is a cheap-ish "alternative", although harder to get detail work just right and not really all that suitable anyway (maybe ok with a good epoxy / primer, perhaps?).

Usually the interest rate and points are a little higher up front than a traditional lender but it's a good alternative to bringing on a partner.

If you do some research on houses like yours in that market area, you may be able to see how long it takes for the property to rent.There are security deposit alternative policies now that make it even easier for tenants to meet security deposit requirements.

My mother-in-law is managing the state and doing some projects to get the house in better shape before going to the market.My husband and I would like to purchase the home as an investment property (rental); my mother-in-law stated that she would "discount" her part of the purchase, which means we would only pay 66% of the original price.I am trying to think of alternatives to borrowing the money.

However, they can serve as a good alternative to bridge loans or construction loans.