On one hand, you can make a higher profit margin and rent is usually guaranteed (because of parents paying rent).

My wife has antique glass ornaments that her parents passed down to her and they are both deceased.

I imagine you run into this with parents purchasing for their children, but my situation would be a little different, as I wouldn't be listing him as a co-signer. 

We financed it ourselves with some loan from our parents that we will pay back at close. 

I got interested in real estate investing pretty recently, after going to meet my boyfriend's parents for the first time & finding out that they have real estate investment/income properties.

Hi Brianne, If I were your parents I would just use the reasoning that they would like to use the cottage themselves along with the main house.

I'll sell it sometime in the next five to ten years because I will need the money to buy my siblings out of our parents' home when the time comes.

Land was originally homesteaded by my grand parents.

It's just scary because this is 6+ years of my savings, I'm finally moving out of my parents house when I'm 30, and there's a ton of approaches to real estate. 

The reality is that you need money: your money, parents money, investors money, credit card money... it does not matter who's money, you need money.