Hard money works, but it’s pricey for new investors, so I led with credibility: a simple one‑page deal story, conservative numbers, my skin in the game, clear exit, and consistent updates.

I'll look more into hybrid/segmented special assessments.You'd think lenders would be mostly okay with these, since while it's true that only a portion of the units are responsible for repayment, the loan amount itself (their risk/skin in the game) is lowered by the same factor (slashed in half in my case).I know this is silly and I probably won't go down that route, but part of me is thinking, "I'll be the lender myself - I'll give them a less predatory (but still win-win) interest rate - if anyone has to collect interest here, why not it be me?"

I would want my son to have some skin in the game regarding down payment and on the other hand if I was him I wouldn't want to do a live-in reno and have to pay rent. 

This is the prospect's skin in the game. 

But if you're using traditional financing, you'll usually need at least 10-20% skin in the game.Bottom line—BRRRR is a powerful strategy when done right, but it’s not passive.

(And there's fear of retaliation in reality.)STR management is not for the thin-skinned.

Commercial require you to have at least 20% skin in the game correct?

Fix it fast: lead with a crisp one‑pager showing deal, numbers, security, and payback; put some of your own skin in; state risks and how you mitigate; then give consistent updates.

100%, "no skin in the game"? 

In other words 80% conventional loans, as ALMOST all loans, require the borrower to have skin in the game.