I have the cash to purchase it, but I don’t now if it’s the best option to purchase it out right or finance and stretch my cash further.

You can even sweeten the offer by paying I/O payments, during that stretch, to reassure them.

I'm having the hardest time finding a legit site to post for a potential roommate and I need assistance finding a good contractor, I'm really just trying to get some feedback on what would be the smart economical decision to make when finances are stretched thin currently. 

I do "manage" my own but it's a stretch to management as we use online portals and call centers to do 90% of the work.

It is a practice that is still going on today, across multiple industries and is not illegal by any stretch.

Part of me wants to dive in and start finding ways (loans/partnerships) to stretch my limited capital while looking for my first deal.

Part of me wants to dive in and start finding ways (loans/partnerships) to stretch my limited capital while looking for my first deal.

It means that you should have a goal that's big enough to stretch you. 

If you find a deal where the numbers work, you're not stretching yourselves, it's in a decent area where people would want to live, you don't mind sharing the house with other people, AND you are handy with self repairs and won't be overwhelmed with common (not necessarily frequent) plumbing, patching, and painting issues, I'd say it's a great plan.

@Aubrey Cook Let’s call it 25% down (80% LTC is a stretch, 75% is pretty standard).