Investors only receive a share of the income you actually generate, you will not owe a fixed repayment block.Difference here is that this model is for owners who either don’t want to take on more debt, can’t qualify for the financing they need, or have little time.At best, this is word games. 

It’s been a game changer.

He doesn’t believe in the blame game.

Somehow I think it's better to hold onto my own money and keep that dry powder on the sidelines waiting to get into the game if there are some emergency expenditures (haha, very likely with the kinds of deals I'm thinking about in class C neighborhoods).

Collections are where the game is won or lost, and without proactive management, even the prettiest property can bleed money. 

They used that period of unemployment to skip paying student loans and then try to get some kind of program/hardship deferral or something aka "gaming the system".

I don’t mind having skin in the game either, but I know using private money is key to scaling one day and would like to get some experience with it now, even if it doesn’t fund a majority of the deal. 

This decision often comes down to a simple numbers game.

Focus on what the rents will look like post-renovation with 4 units instead of 2, and have a clear game plan for refinancing to pull your capital back out. 

A good one will also have skin in the game and will even be able to bring new acquisitions to your attention.