People complain about a listing agent's commission, but part of it is insurance against such scams in a process with governance, safety, and regulation, a.k.a. the MLS.Zillow, well...

To solve the problem when people want to close their bedroom door when they are sleeping we cut one inch off the bottom of the door, install a vent in the wall above the door so air flows into the hallway and we even cut holes in the ceiling and install registers with filter so the warm moist air rising to the ceiling can flow into the attic.

So to touch on the subject of my post, I got to mow the grass at my duplex and cut down 5 foot tall weeds, because my mower has apparently not shown up and I got a call from the chief of police on Friday, yay!

I added value by a complete exterior renovation, cosmetic upgrades, bringing the basement up to safety levels as well as turning a half bath into a full.

I added value by a complete exterior renovation, cosmetic upgrades, bringing the basement up to safety levels as well as turning a half bath into a full.

Some corners are cut (figuratively speaking, not literally) but once they are installed they're pretty good.

The pretty clear-cut answer here is this:  You'll want to be in a structure that provides you the most robust legal protection, but you'll want access to the best lending options. 

Use that as motivation to save up for the down payment.For saving for the down payment, look at your debt, expenses, etc and see how to get rid of any debt (it will limit what you can buy), cut expenses and increase your income (second job, odd jobs on the side).  

Better than that, we will cut your payments!

Leaving work with multiple small cuts and bruises every day is the norm.