Some of my Turnkey operator clients did the rental guarantee insurance and that company made it about 12 to 18 months before they folded as claims ran them out of money.. 

Option 1 - buy a house and pay ~3+k per month (including taxes, insurance, cap ex)Option 2 - rent in good downtown area for $1,300 per monthI'd pick option 2 and save $20k guaranteed per year (versus principal paydown, nonguaranteed appreciation, and negative cash flow).

If an expert doesn’t weigh in and you aren’t excited about paying someone else to list it I would certainly get an official opinion by your CPA but even that isn’t a guarantee.

I don't use SmartMove, but do let the prospective tenant know that applying does not guarantee they get the apartment, and that the application fee is nonrefundable.  

If your friend just wants to be the bank and park his money for a guaranteed rate of return then I think 10% is fair and pay it like a dividend. 

His program also comes with a 6 month money back guarantee if for some reason it does not work for you.  

For example, are you ok with your investment being unsecured for 6.5-8% where you can get a guaranteed return from the Fed for almost 5%?

Here are some examples based on common interest rates:At 5% interest rate:Monthly payment for 40 years interest-only = $2,083At 6% interest rate:Monthly payment for 40 years interest-only = $2,500At 7% interest rate:Monthly payment for 40 years interest-only = $2,917--------so 40Y 10YARM vs 40Y IO: $1 LOL :)----------------------------------draw amortization chart for 30YFRM with 7% rate every year for $500,000 loanHere is an amortization chart for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (30YFRM) with a 7% interest rate on a $500,000 loan:YearBeginning BalanceMonthly PaymentInterest PaidPrincipal PaidEnding Balance1$500,000$3,326.98$35,000$5,369.82$494,630.182$494,630.18$3,326.98$34,624.11$5,745.73$488,884.453$488,884.45$3,326.98$34,221.91$6,147.93$482,736.52--------------draw amortization chart for 40Y Interest only with 7% rate for $500,000 loanTo calculate the amortization schedule for a 40-year interest-only mortgage with a 7% interest rate and a $500,000 loan amount, we can use the following steps:During the interest-only period (first 10 years):Monthly payment = $2,916.67 (7% annual interest rate / 12 months)Total interest paid in the first 10 years = $291,667 (2,916.67 x 12 months x 10 years)Loan balance remains at $500,000 during the interest-only periodAfter the interest-only period (remaining 30 years):Monthly payment = $3,326.89 (calculated using the standard mortgage payment formula with a 30-year amortization period and 7% interest rate)Total interest paid in the remaining 30 years = $496,869Total interest paid over the full 40-year term = $788,536Loan balance at the end of the 40-year term = $0 (fully amortized)The full amortization schedule would look like this:YearInterest-Only PaymentPrincipal ReductionLoan Balance1-10$2,916.67$0$500,000------------so if you use 30YFRM an sell within 3 years; you are making additional 18k profit guaranteed compare to 40Y IO.

When I started asking questions like that actual name of the company they use for background checks and verifying identity… she started to get defensive… apparently it’s a $1,000 to have them get your guaranteed short term funding.

@Mounish Thatikonda, while I can't speak in too much detail about the financing side, I will note that I have never built a house, but had talked to lenders in the past, and they were willing to finance a new construction house for me with full personal guarantee and a reputable builder contracted to manage the construction.