I do my best to make friends with people who are smarter than me, and if I'm not willing to put my own money up next to theirs then I feel like I'm dropping the ball.In this business I believe proper capitalization, alignment of incentives, and shared risks are critical.

It is critical that you explain this clearly to her, so she sees the win win.

Or simply search for investors in your area (using BP's search function).

I suppose legally it would be a duplex with 2 companion units, but would function and rent as a fourplex.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out and if it functions as I'm intending.

You can use the search function here on BP and reach out to lenders in MS. 

California is stupid, so I had to get my real estate agent license to become an independent mortgage broker, with job functions mostly identical to what I had already been doing for many years, the only real difference being that now I'm a fiduciary of the client rather than an employee of the lender. 

The 4 houses are all on the same street, built in the 1930s, mechanicals function, however there will be some upcoming deferred maintenance. 2 of the house are currently rented; 1 new tenant 18 month lease, other just renewed for 12 months and has been there since 2016.

Open to suggestions and criticisms.

A good agent and property manager who understands the market and investment properties is critical.