I don't see it as an investment strategy if you are truly "swapping" homes with little to no monetary gain, but you can stay in some pretty amazing places in other parts of the world.  

Usually, it's a monetary amount that satisfies the seller to accept your deal.

If you get them served personally at the residence (where you know they'll be , you'll be able to sue for monetary damages as well as possession of the property.

This usually takes the form of a monetary payment, called earnest money.

If she were to put in 100% of the capital but wants me to have 49% ownership and 10% of profits, what business entity should we chose and would there be issues with taxes since I'm essentially receiving a monetary gift.

I have held SF rentals for more than a decade and have never had a monetary judgment against me.

New to REI....Does this sound like a good way to start slow with a low monetary investment?  

The monetary value of the house was worth it. 

When you say "housing claims", do you mean evictions or monetary judgements for money due to a previous landlord, or something else? 

Then determine how much time each would take.Once you know the time investment and the monetary return for each scenario, you should be able to determine which is the right direction...