For existing companies, individuals who own at least 25% of the entity or exercise substantial control over it must submit BOIR to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by December 31, 2024.

If so, consider that with a stock you have NO CONTROL whereas with your rentals you have quite a bit of control over how the business is run and how successful it is.

Offer the design team a piece of the equity OR pay a premium as incentive to keep to an established timeline (that is within their control). 

@Jeremy Bloom  the rag on the thermostat can be beat by placing a remote thermostat that is set to the legally required temperature with that remote thermostat actually controlling the temperature.

They cannot arbitrarily make wild gambles because they feel like it - they have to operate within established risk parameters that are approved by several regulatory bodies and internal controls.

Just because the cost of the utility is included, doesn't mean you can control if it works or doesn't work.

Lease Options: Structure a lease option for the property you're flipping, allowing you to control the property while securing financing through the lease payments.By combining these strategies, you can create a unique financing plan tailored to your specific project and financial situation.

He may get stuck with rent control laws that prevent him from catching up later. 

Just do your numbers and control the deal to make money.  

Do you feel this is controllable or that it's mostly up to chance who succeeds and who fails?