So-o-o, with that off the table, you could offer "cash for keys" should they agreed to end their lease by a certain date with full return of their security deposit.

@Dylan Roberts, put the 1031 exchange off the table for a bit. 

Still a great deal and I'm bringing $50K in equity to the table vs the ~$35k down payment from the other partner and I'm managing the whole deal.Any advice on how to better structure this?

"I climb mountains for fun!

This can help leverage the funds that you're able to bring to the table.)

Get to know them and see if potential partnerships make sense, considering their needs and what you'll bring to the table.

I have not lived in it for several years and will not be back in the area anytime soon, so a VA cash-out is off the table.

Many sellers will say something like "well, we show $200,000 on the books, but there's another $200,000 under the table".Any sales that don't get recorded simply don't exist for your purposes. 

Unless you have an appetite for risk and want a second job, or bring real estate expertise to the table along with a work ethic and don’t mind running a real estate investing business that will enable you to beat the stock market, in which case you should buy into a bunch of syndications and rentals.

I'm on the fence here regarding some options that I have so I'd like to lay my position on the table and get some feedback from the general community in the hopes that it can help guide my decision moving forward.