Can anyone tell me the best way to structure a joint venture with a silent money partner?  

It's much easier to save for a downpayment and invest once you have your debt under control and you are now "house-poor".

HVAC/Humidity control?

Are the lender fees what they promised....for underwriting, processing, appraisal, etc.guaranteed rate is normally pretty good on fees, but there may be charges that are out of their control.  

Rehabbing it is definitely the way to go if possible because you can really control quality, but of course it's not always feasible.

We've been talking about joint venturing on a property together (50/50 or 60/40, however we can make it work) and I'm trying to figure out a way to arrange this with their 1031, but I'm not sure if they are allowed to partner with individuals outside of their LLC or how that could work.

Take control of your business and move on from those who fail to perform/hold up their end of the bargain.

I'm in the Charlotte area and looking for possible joint ventures. 

If they're grumpy and throwing a fit, they may have a legitimate physiological need for a nap (and it is ridiculous to have developmentally inappropriate expectations of their self-control--I get cranky when I'm tired, too, even now!

This allows you to control costs more as over usage of any utilities is on your tenants and not you.