For instance I operate primarily in Santa Clara county and Alameda county.

The title search will show most liens (except Federal IRS Liens, they don't always bring it up - you have to contact the IRS and fax in your property info),  I purchased land that had no liens and a simple title chain (which minimizes the chance of a previous owner trying to sue in court).In Miami there is no guaranteed lien settlement... in Broward i believe its around 10-15% of the total lien amount but in Miami its never a guarantee - say for instance you purchased a property with 50k+ in liens - you'd have to present yourself in front of the Miami code enforcement board and make your case (if its a smaller amount you can usually get by with just meeting an inspector).I've heard of people walking away with 0-$3000 max in lien settlements (both personal friends and BP members) but I've never done it myself.  

For instance, there used to be a porch that we closed in.

@Jonathan Twombly Thank you for for the advice on finding investors and having a long list to cover instances of people never wanting to get into a deal.

Freedom is by far my big need.Lions (like Grant Cordone for instance) would hate my way.

For instance, would they each put up 50% of the initial investment (down payment + closing + rehab costs) and then equally split the earnings after the sale?

So, for instance, you can have a contingency that the seller must provide you all of the Air BNB receipts for the past two years within 17 days of the opening of escrow or you have the right to cancel the transaction and get a full refund of your deposit from the seller. 

A lot of new investors are famously stuck in analysis paralysis for way too long.

So for instance you should be taking 15% of $1100 rent in your first example, which actually reduces your monthly income by $60. 

My Dad is interested in joining me on this venture, but I have no idea where to start when it comes to putting a contract together in this instance.