Money lending is short term and independently mutually beneficial.

Raytheon, for example, is anticipating an average salary of $110,000 for their 2,000 new positions.[2] Vector Space Systems anticipates average $70,000 salaries for their 200 positions.[3] Another beneficial effect of the growth is the amount of development currently planned.

Buying with cash allows you to be more competitive and purchase properties at a discount which is also beneficial if you ever need to finance.

Getting with a investment lender can really help you with understanding the numbers and they usually have a preferred wholesaler that can be beneficial in your search for that first property.

When done correctly it can save you tons of money and should be equally as beneficial to you as your entrepreneurial tenant.

I was trying to consider some factors that may come into play - from what I understand you can put as little as ~3.5% down under an FHA loan - will it be more beneficial for me to put "more skin in the game" with the largest possible down payment I can make (say, closer to 10-15%)?

If it's super low like 4-5%, go plant it in a good mutual fund and get the same return without the hassle of being a landlord.

I hope that I am able to share with the community and bring yet another perspective that is beneficial.  

I find REIA is a lot more beneficial especially for beginners.  

My husband and I own a few rentals mutually in both our own names (not in an LLC).