I was thinking he supplies the down payment and acts as a silent partner.

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.2.

I feel sorry for the people losing everything in the fires , insurance will go up .But I wish I was the guy  driving this bulldozer ;t=162s

There is not the depth of what you're asking.

Maybe start with some smaller jobs before going all in.

and why are they needed in this deal?

He claimed if he didn't get the money he could not buy supplies to complete the job, which would be done in a week(I knew this wasn't true). 

pid=2141Houston Real Estate Highlights for December and Full-Year 2024:-Following two consecutive years of declines, single-family home sales rebounded in 2024 with 85,163 single-family homes sold compared to 84,038 in 2023 an increase of 1.3 percent; -Total property sales for full-year 2024 were statistically flat at 101,864 units while the total dollar volume increased 3.1 percent to $41 billion;-December single-family home sales climbed 16.3 percent year-over-year with 7,162 units sold;-Total December property sales increased 13.6 percent to 8,478 units;-Total dollar volume for December rose 20.5 percent to $3.5 billion;-The single-family home median price edged up by 1.3 percent to $334,290 while the average price increased 5.0 percent to $425,150;-Single-family homes months of inventory expanded to a 4.0-months supply;-The townhome/condominium market experienced declining sales throughout 2024, and in December, volume declined 5.8 percent, with the average price up 2.5 percent to $268,152 and the median price statistically flat at $234,250;-Townhome/condominium inventory improved from a 3.5-months supply to 5.4 months.

@Wells H. you need to invest in the right City of Detroit Neighborhoods!

We know supply is a big issue with low inventory across the whole country.