Hey, someone tell me there isn't already something in the area like this and I just wasted a lot of "ink".  

My goal in the long term is build up enough equity/extra income to retire at 50.

As you continue with this journey, you will need to build up some skin to not let it bother you.

Staring with a few flip projects could be a strategic move to build up your reserves and establish an efficient assembly for your investments.

So the friend contributing the least upfront would own the least stake at first and would gradually buy more into it as they paid the most monthly to build up equity into the project.

Try different ways of financing like rent-to-own, taking over payments, or when the seller acts like the bank.Continue to save aggressively to build up your down payment.

Build up that war chest.

If that's not of interest to you then I recommend continuing to build up your capital, improve your credit, and potentially partner with someone.

So, mathematically, you should continue to rent.However, for your longterm financial wellbeing, owning is better than renting and you build up equity and benefit from rent increases from owning investment property plus all the tax benefits you don't get from renting.I would look at buying a duplex in a market like Lansing, MI.

Basically it is a gas that can build up and overtime cause cancer.