I’ve had very productive business arrangements purely online or phone, though those were pre-vetted by an affiliation with an institution.For the land deal, especially if it is a friend, have a clear operating agreement defining the financial relationship.

You are going to need to define what you mean by full home rehab? 

I want to make sure my in-laws are comfortable with their investment and that they have some legal right to the assets /liabilities of the business but not sure how to proceed.Should we look into adding them to the title or put the house in a family trust where the ownership is clearly defined?

FHA defines first-time homebuyer as "an individual who has not held ownership in a principal residence during the three-year period ending on the date of the purchase."

Whereas I appreciate the financial philosophy in the books, they are painted in very broad strokes, and we are looking for more brass tacks as far as how this actually works.

Crowdfunding is an interesting concept and does allow a broad spectrum of investors.

These might make the project a "failure", but it doesn't knock you out and you learn to sharpen your pencil.We can tell you all of our stories, you need to define your story up front and what failure looks like.  

(that ruling has some pretty defined criteria that many tenants wouldn't qualify for)If the tenant tears up your notice without reading it, that doesn't mean it "doesn't count".

As was stated previously I think the main thing is making it clear to the owner that you are an agent and what your intentions are, and making sure the paperwork you and the owner sign clearly defines that.

You can definately make it work using the BRRRR strategy!