Depending on how much I can get for each unit with determine if I switch from Airbnb to Section 8.

Alex is right to post his story as I think his intent was to be motivational and show that his determination paid off.Still, we need to be intentional about how we talk about RE invested and what metrics we choose to include. 

Once you determine what you need, you can start creating a plan as to how much value that partner brings and how it equates to a cashflow and equity split.Keep in mind that partnership deal is different from an "investor" who is just financing you. 

In the unlikely event you set it up in the lease as two separate payments to separate entities I stand corrected but that makes it difficult to determine if a tenant is  current with rent. 

They should be able to determine the COC, annualized return, estimated ARV if a BRRRR, accurate rent comps and more.

I think you need to determine what the return on investment would be for every action you take. 

@Brandon GoldsmithWhat determines the kind of loans you can qualify for is your residency, not your citizenship.

I would get the lender first so you know what you can afford and then determine how much of that you want to spend.

When I plug in the numbers to determine the actual cash value for depreciation purposes I get a negative number.  

If it is the unpermitted issue, then you have to determine if the permits can be issued retroactively and if so how much risk you have that you will need to rebuild some portion of the structure.