This gave me the option to be a stay at home mom when the day comes, and makes the choice for him to stay in the marines when his time is up a real choice.

(Alternatively, bill in advance for $X,XXX dollars to be spent on materials, and then provide receipt tracking for materials bought against that bill, billing additional as needed)The problem I've seen over and over again is that investors will turn contractors into unwilling lenders with none of the protection (Deeds) or benefits (Interest) afforded to a real lender.

As I'm not sure whether they will close, I usually build in a safety net of one of the choices being a Delaware Statutory Trust just in case the targets fall through. 

There's always more than two choices.

I live in NYC and have been looking for alternative markets to invest in.

An alternative strategy would be to borrow from your plan for the down payment (subject to the limits) and then you would obtain financing and own the property.

There are some alternatives though.

Prospective renters have the choice of doing an instant booking or an inquiry.If they don't meet all your requirements then you will have to accept them.

The alternative way a person can be categorized as accredited is if they have a net worth of $1million or more (excluding the value of their primary residence). 

I love my career choice and I choose to work endlessly for every client I have, the majority of brokers/agents I know work well over 40 hours a week and will drop anything they are doing for a client's needs.