You would need to incoporate or have a business partner before you can treat it as anything else.

Some things are treated differently on paper as compared to in practice.

Also, I'd have to vacate one building to treat it.

Too many people treat it like a hobby, when it should be treated like a business.

That means you will treat those as income on a Schedule C or other business entity if incorporated.Also, you do not lose the tax benefits of your rentals.

They make you look shady, absolutely not credible and a small fry.You want to be treated like you are a reputable legitimate company?

While we trust the contractor, funds are still treated as if they were comming out of a bank, lien waivers, etc.

Dodd-Frank and the SAFE Act effect sales to owner occupied buyers.They cover any financing arrangement, call it what you like, if a dollar is credited toward the purchase price from any payment structure over any period of time, it's a financing arrangement.Next, you are putting way to much down for a lease purchase, no wonder the seller is flexible, residential should not exceed 10%, actually, just under that as the IRS may treat the transaction as a disguised sale.Next, a lease-option is the worst way to control a rental property.

Now it's a business and an investment to my future and I treat it that way.

No you would just treat it as if you were buying the home off MLS.