We'd all be in the southwest US and I'd like to get my whole family and my partner involved in building our REI portfolio.My goals are to be able to continue my career while also becoming financially free through REI and other investments.

@Gregory HatcherYou have shown good judgment both in responding back to the thread here and most importantly, that for whatever reason, you did not pay anyone $20K to $50K for anything that does not have a deed involved! 

Are you involved in real estate full time?

And if that $2080 is being used as down payments and leveraged to buy real estate, that means I have just gained an extra 10,400 - 20800 worth of real estate ..I see this as a simple example of an actionable step to help people towards financial freedom.I am currently applying this in my own path to financial freedom.Would love to hear other peoples perspective and opinions on thisWhat are your thoughts and methods to achieve financial freedom?

If you plan on getting more properties it’s going to be more complicated getting commercial loans or sometimes even standard mortgages for under properties under $100k ,,many lenders say the paper and legal involved not worth it for them . buying condos imo gives you less leverage and you have less people who want to loan you the money.

All of the normal methods don't seem to produce much return for my dad, and even if he got 100% of the cash flow it would take 7+ years for me to see any profit.

We need to get involved!

I would advise not to involve family members in deals unless you have shown a proven track record and the family member understands the risk of not getting his/her money back.

Then get involved in a local meeetup where you can meet some other like minded investors who can help guide you along the way also.

Bottom line is I prefer to invest money rather than hoard it.My method is as risk adverse as paying cash for properties but far more lucrative.