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.

Alternatively, if your goal is strictly to find cashflow from day 1 (especially if you're coming in with a modest downpayment amount), then I would advise to focus in outer areas. 

If you're considering a significant investment in smart locks, I strongly recommend exploring alternative options that prioritize both convenience and reliability.

I am at a point where I have reached a ceiling with my primary lender and need to find alternative lenders to work with.

I checked out neighborhoodscout.com but I am wondering what good competitors are out there, and if there are any free (or lower cost) alternatives.

Are there alternative/better financing options for this plan? 

Just need a good GC contract that you can enforce if they dont perform.. pretty simple at that point and frankly much safer for you not to give the GC any formal ownership at all..

It’s also a lot safer to use a cc to protect against identity theft.

If you are only making $600 a year - you can easily call that negative cash flow - because the first repair you have to make will probably eat that amount up.I would encourage you to compare whatever deal you are looking at to alternative uses of your money as to investments.