You'll want to explore the rent to own market, but to do this properly and avoid all the problems you hear about (because most people do it wrong) you'll want to put a BUYER in the home, not a renter.

I am a brand new real estate investor with a couple business partners exploring our real estate investment options.

I’d be happy to share more about what’s working here, and we could explore if this market aligns with your long-term goals.Feel free to reach out if you want to dive deeper into what the Indy market has to offer.

I'm exploring different funding options and would love advice on using other people's money (OPM), leveraging business credit, or possibly borrowing against my 401k to keep more of my liquid cash.

Any other option which i should explore?

For those who have explored or utilized such financing options, what has your experience been like?

What creative financing strategies have you already explored, and how successful were they in helping you close deals?

its great that you are taking the leap into Real Estate investment, and Venice Florida, its an interesting market with its mix of vacation and long-term rental opportunities.Given the current market conditions you are describing - stagnant with a surplus of inventory - there might be some advantages to exploring both vacation and long term-rentals.  

Would love to know if you think I'm missing something here, or what other options you think someone in this position could explore to start getting their feet wet and moving forward in the near term.

Exploring different loan programs and possibly adjusting the down payment to improve terms.