My background includes extensive experience on Wall Street in mortgage investment analytics. 

Since then I have been on here reading the forums and listening to podcasts religiously trying to retain as much information as possible. 

I'm a writer and artist (painter of landscapes as well as walls.) 

Very cheapI was going to purchase this property- it was a rental property as u can tell from tile cieling, bland wall painting, and tile floor.

I have a load bearing wall between a living room and a kitchen that I'd like to open.  

Do I retain ownership so that I can fix and flip the house?

What you want to look for in a stone foundation is bowing in the wall, the plumbness of the wall, cracking or displacement of the stones, or sand at the bottom of the wall.3. 

We usually try to schedule the professional property inspector after we have completed our wall to wall inspection.

My thought is since there is 3-4 of us, that we all contribute an equal percent of the down payment needed on a property, but that I retain 10% more of the property for doing the work, i.e., if there's 3 of us, we all put in 1/3 down payment but I own 45% and they split the 55% remaining ownership (give up 5% each for not having to work)What are your thoughts?

Decima) who had the dictum in how to act with tenants ; "always friendly, never friends" and I have had success with retaining people long term with that friendly approach....best of luck!