But back to my point, if the W2 employees of the company are also putting in capital on a regular basis, it builds credibility for the company, as well, since these are likely also people with behind the scenes knowledge of the company, but without the same incentive (or market demand) to invest in the deals, like the partners have.

Different people but it's also a group that provides valuable connections and knowledge.There are more groups out there but these are the two I visit on a regular basis and both have helped me on my real estate journey.

Some regular overnight guests and some were people who stayed with me from anywhere from 20 nights in a row to a couple of 6-9 month stays.

We have some properties with only street parking that get booked regularly.- I don't see the patio situation or the park across the street being an issue.

In my opinion, good sponsors communicate regularly (and at a minimum are sending yearly financials and quarterly updates). 

If you do end up going the regular rental route and want to self manage, check out evict.com which is one of the premier landlord/tenant attornies in the country.

You can if you want, but if this loan is from a well known, licensed, reputable lender, then its similar to getting regular mortgage.

And they'd be able to use the additional depreciation to write off regular income and save about 5k on their taxes.So what is the real return on their 95k investment. 

Either A) the gf's mother stole her identity and impersonated her on the loan application, B) she's lying to you and is going along with it, or C) the inquiry is unrelated to the mother's loan.

But a clogged toilet that's because of regular wear-tear over the years?