Having a healthy fear going into any deal can keep your sense sharp to avoid potential pitfalls. 

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. 

Keep in mind, if you're not making money, they aren't either, so they have "skin in the game".

I would guess that you have little or no experience running any kind of STR, and now want to get that experience on the back of someone else's investment, with little or no personal skin in the game, and that's not a good way to build an investment portfolio.

Don’t forget to plan for the future, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and celebrate small wins along the way—it’s all part of the journey!

Quote from @Chris Seveney: @Francisco AvancenaThere are specific lenders who will do land dealsBut of course not as many as traditional real estate.The key will be skin in the game - typically for land because it is less liquid than a home the lender will want to have a lower ltv on the deal I fund land flippers currently in  CO FLA WA ID MT NV AZ OR TX SC GA VA  one thing about land though LTV is lower and RATES are NOT the same as typical HML rates are higher for raw land but its a specialty niche and a business that I grew up in..

The networking and local market insights are invaluable.For retirement planning, focus on building steady cash flow and consider setting aside a healthy maintenance fund (I usually recommend 6 months of expenses) to protect against any surprises.If you're looking to expand your portfolio, Columbus is a great market where we still see positive cash flowing deals with lots of appreciation potential.

I was informed by KCMO Health Department that landlords are supposed to be paying an annual fee to them and they conduct inspections of rental units in the city? What experience do people have with this, is there a wa...

I don't know your skin thickness but know I do it with love and care for your improvement, there is no insult meant by any of it but fact is we all gotta suck, learn and try again before we get great, right. 

If the local market is healthy and rental income will be adequately managed by a property manager, then a long term residence could be used to build equity.