It’s all about the numbers, your skills, abilities and goals.

I'm saying all this to you, but really just trying to remind myself that, even though I have become skilled at totally avoiding situations that cause confrontations, and if I still find myself there: in the moment just before a confrontation i have an opportunity to just let it go, deescalate, disengage and that making that choice could save my life and/or my loved ones, and at the very least, reduce my overall stress.

I have a few friends that would like to pool together our finances and skills to accelerate our investments.

When taking on partners, look to surround yourself w/not only experts but folks that complement the skills you feel you are strongest in and let them do what they do best. 

If you asked me what the 5 most important skills were to be a successful agent I would give you this listMarketingMarketingMarketingMarketingReal Estate Knowledge

Many construction skills that I previously had no experience.

Or a unique skill set someone brings to help scale your little business.

The principle is this: you can use your expertise, experience, or skill (or even other people's expertise, experience, or skill) in lieu of cash as the downpayment. 

I recommend a skilled carpenter, send me a message.

Most people have transferable skills (accountants and engineers being good with numbers; people from the service industry are good with customers or high touch business models; marketing professionals know how to build a crowd).