If you're going straight onto concrete, I think a jump to tile might be worth it... easy to do yourself (I like doing tile)...

I have kids so I wanted to get my home straight first.  

Sellee says needs cash now in the long run the lsnd contract is worth double but is it worth it is there something i need to watch for or are these pretty straight forward

Most of these things are straight forward. 

I bought #2 straight cash.

. - Never got a straight answer out of the PM (either admit to screwing up or they're just backed up)- Everything is submitted, We are basically in a hold until we hear back from them.

Instead, I put them in a secure satchel and drive straight to our credit union which is three blocks away.

People often forget the context of ROI figures and just go straight for whatever % is highest, so it's an important reminder: If you pay cash, you'll have more flow each month but your ROI % will be lower because of the increased investment amount; if you finance, you will have less flow after expenses each month, but you will need less cash upfront and someone else is paying your mortgage for you, eventually leading to a fully-owned cash flow property that you essentially paid 20% for.

I'm trying to understand a straight side-by-side comparison.

As a newbie, you based this decision on straight emotion, thinking writing up contracts and getting things down in writing would offend your partners.