I know this is not "your" decision, but if your wife shares your interest in real estate, I would encourage her to consider her life choice like a real estate deal. 

I must add the following:I notice that flip funding is a little easier to obtain.

@Simon W. wins the best advice award; If you have enough in your budget and enough supporting assets to hire an actual seasoned real estate controller, do itYour question is almost like your trying get your head around as if there is an owner with 2 choices: either hire employees or sub it out to a vendor.

If I do it wont be for long, and if I don't then I made the right choice anyway.

Not a big deal if you plan to pay it back in a short time frame (e.g. use the money for a BRRRR), but I don't think it's a good choice of long-term debt.I'd also be very careful about taking out money to "upgrade" your home.

Much easier said than done. 

-For the fallen fence it might seem easier to go to small claims court since it'll be less than $10k.

As investors we look at quite a few metrics, and your choices depend on your lifestyle and your goals.

If he ends up being your final choice that's great, but if not, no harm no foul.

I also only offer M2M leases, which makes it easier for me to terminate any agreements for any reason (or no reason).In the future (and maybe you did this), I find it helpful to lurk on social media platforms to see what kind of pets are showing up there before I accept any funds for the hold.