If the investors are passive and have no active role you have a security and is regarded a syndication . 

She mentioned to me that items under the property to secure the foundation was not completed and began to tell me what was wrong.

Obviously that secures my house to the loan, but it would basically keep me from draining my savings account to throw in a 20% down payment.

What do you do to ensure that the tenant is responsible for security deposit disputes since that is the largest reason for owner lawsuitsHow familiar are you with the newly changed laws that can affect you the owner if they are not used correctly?. 

Financing the debt at below market rates would ensure that it'll make business sense for you not to refinance that debt for quite some time, keeping his payments secure. 

are they secured by reverse mortgages ?  

What do you do to ensure that the tenant is responsible for security deposit disputes since that is the largest reason for owner lawsuitsHow familiar are you with the newly changed laws that can affect you the owner if they are not used correctly?. 

I am okay holding it but wanted to issue a "holding deposit" that would turn into part of security deposit at lease signing, but if for some reason they back out it could semi- recoup the cost of holding and not advertising. 

For example, you buy the place and the tenant could claim the Seller allowed them to paint the walls black or that their security deposit was twice what the Seller claimed.

Think of all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.