Person to person deals will always be fine because those are arms length if neither person has a license.

There are a couple spots around town I would avoid, but I chose to raise my kids here and have never been concerned for their safety. 

Such a short timeline doesn't give you any real margin of safety since you get out of debt, then right back into debt shortly thereafter.This depends on your current interest rate though.

While proximity to developing scenes and amenities suggests upward potential, the nearby "war-zone" area could raise significant concerns regarding safety, tenant quality, and property value stability.

We are looking at a 30-year fixed for a Single Family STR , but we are open to suggestions re: ARMs, Interest Only, etc. 

They could get a risk free return by investing in T-bills, so the delta between that RFR and what you're offering needs to be rewarding enough for them to pursue it.As for the 2nd part of your question, that really is a mystery :)The low interest rate environment always leads to these folks misleading people and mismatching deal operations, and sometimes even defaulting on the property and losing it altogether.Probably because a bunch of these syndicators want to be cool Instagram/TikTok influencers and throw up their arms and talk about how many doors they own, but what do I know lol. 

She has a co-signer willing to sign, but I'm hesitant with her age/safety (the garden unit has a steep staircase) and with rent being $1800 is that doable for her?

Financially this deal makes sense; however, I am concerned with the safety aspect… I must live there for a year since I am looking for an FHA loan.There are areas close by that i know can have criminal activity but I am uncertain about this specific area (1-2 mile radius).

For example someone trips and falls and hires the "strong arm" to get them "the money they are owed" the strong arm does a quick asset search of what is owned by the property owner (the LLC) and nothing shows up.

There's a hedge fund with a separate securities arm and total company, that is going to enter those two in these things.