Quote from @Melissa Stanley: I’m hoping to purchase a few properties with a friend/business partner but after meeting with a lawyer am even more confused.

We sent a letter of termination because it had to be signed bye 11:59 yesterday.

It is a bad idea to screen and then show homes with a smart lock code that I can change? 

Thanks for taking a look.Yes.

Structuring a joint venture (JV) or equity partnership can make the deal appealing by offering a share of cash flow and appreciation. 

If you are buying at a discount, is there a reason such as the property needing a rehab? 

Whenever I have used seller financing as a buyer I always put in the note that the note holder must give me the first right of refusal to purchase my note at the same discount they are selling it at.

See properties sitting on the market for a long time, every market is different, my market anything over 30 days is a long time.

You can put the number into a search engine and sometimes it will tell you if it's a solicitation.

If I were in your position, I would buy a duplex that has potential for value add, fix it up, live in one unit and rent out the other unit as a medium term rental or long term rental.