My husband & I have committed to NOT live the way our parents lived and to teach our boys differently as well.  

A 30 year with a 5 year amortisation is all I would commit to in your situation but a variable would defiantly be better.

Longer commitment? 

He required us to pay some deposit for work commitment.

However, I would love to eventually commit to real estate investing full-time at some point in the next 10 years.Ultimately, I'm joining BiggerPockets to learn more about real estate, offer what information I can to others, and connect with like-minded people.I look forward to expanding my knowledge in various topics of real estate while meeting new people along the way.

I finally made the decision 3 months ago to be fully committed to a direct mail campaign.  

You are also committing 20-25% down payment if you are getting a typical mortgage loan.That said, if you are still into turnkey, definitely research a market first then providers.  

With turnkey, your time commitment can be minimized.

However, I would love to eventually commit to real estate investing full-time at some point in the next 10 years.Ultimately, I'm joining BiggerPockets to learn more about real estate, offer what information I can to others, and connect with like-minded people.I look forward to expanding my knowledge in various topics of real estate while meeting new people along the way.

Perhaps they didn't understand the details of a deal they initially committed to, because you only focused on the numbers with them?