I ask because I'm a little uncomfortable that the "expert" has no real skin in the game and if it went sideways they aren't out anything but time. 

What about those who participate in that syndication, aside from the fact that their involvement is much more passive in nature.

I am a financial advisor by trade, so I have a decent amount of real estate knowledge, due to the nature of my career.

Who and why is someone "potentially" letting you in with no skin in the game?

While it is possible to have all moneys in one company and split it into two buckets for tax preparation - it's much easier to do when they are already naturally separated between two LLCs.2.

I believe you made the right choice by giving them back atleast something so they wouldn't feel too bad. when it comes to newly mothers having premature labor, they can tie it to the chemicals from the pest control, unless you are using eco friendly 100% natural product, either way it can fall back on you.

The key is to find a niche, like near that gun range, and to provide a "wow factor", like an in ground pool, game room, near a park, a natural preserve, etc.

Not saying it's not possible, but this is likely the hangup. buying cash and then cash-out refi is easy and done all day, even with commercial loans, but likely all will want you to carry some liability in some form (skin in the game) that said, I'm just one lender I can't speak for all of them

So first 4 family property owner here. I purchased last month and just got my first electric and gas bill. Let's just say wallet shock doesnt cover it. To break down the tldr, apparently I used 23.59 in gas last month...

People have short memories and think stuff like that will never happen again......personally I would never buy in those areas unless I'm flipping it and moving on.....no way would I buy a long term buy and hold there.I just sold my property in Kingwood.....flooded all around the neighborhood but not near my property...it was a stressful 2 weeks..... really don't want to do that again....dodged a big bullet with no flood insurance and I'm not counting on dodging mother nature again