You'd be surprised at how many opportunities crop up amongst groups with trusted relationships.

If one person does 95% of all the work and everyone else are just "yes men" to any decision then that probably won't pass. 

A local bank might offer a more personal touch, but unless they provide something special like easier access to local vendors or better rates, national banks usually win on convenience.

I wouldn't call them "red flags" yet, but "yellow flags" that require more investigation:The "Classmate" Connection: Mixing business with personal relationships is tricky.

Then keep in touch with that person on a regular basis by using a 'tickler' file. 

His church website is asking for donations to the church and to HIMSELF personally.

Now I have made a living personally funding low balance deals like these.. its my specialty but very picky on who I do it with and markets I will do it in. 

I tend to think of it as "autocomplete on steroids" personally (lol).

I want to set things up correctly from both a liability protection and tax-efficiency standpoint but I’m not sure what the smartest approach is.I want to make sure I’m protected personally, while not overcomplicating things or eating up profits with unnecessary entity costs.If anyone has been through a similar situation—owning properties in more than one state—and can share what structure worked well (or what to avoid), I’d really appreciate the insights.Thanks in advance!

The reason is when you are partnering with people just like a marriage, there are things that come up over the time the relationship that are hard to get over without consulting the other partner.