I have a graphic designer wife and also spent a lot of time and effort branding my previous service business looking for a singular design and style across all media.

My boss wants the ability to do the following things:1) Have financial statements for each particular project (your normal accounting)2) Consolidated accounting (be able to look at all properties together)3) The ability to build in different capital models to the projects (multiple investors/single investor, debt/no debt)4) The ability for a singular investor (ie: my boss) to see how much cash he has in each particular project, and all projects, see how much he's actually making in each (cash) to see real returns5) The ability to possibly include rent rolls and specific information about each project with the ability to have notifications when note payments, property tax payments, etc. are due.

The answer to the your question on why folks would rent when the {operational} cost of ownership appears to be so much lower is not singular.

This will sound a bit paranoid, but don't trust any singular 'expert' be it a real estate agent or loan officer, or what not.

I'm driving hard with a rather singular focus on my goal.I want to be financially independent by 2017 for three reasons: 1) my daughter will be 5 and I want to be around for her as she is growing up, 2) I want to hike the Appalachian Trail with my dad and 3) I've learned that life can be very short and I want to experience so much of what this awesome planet has to offer.After running all the numbers, short of catching one of those crazy dot com stocks in the late 90's (and selling before it's too late) or starting something like FaceBook (or probably Bigger Pockets!?!)

Who do you want on your team (real estate investing is a team sport and does not start out a singular sport): Real Estate Agent, mortgage broker, banker, inspector, insurance agent, CPA, real estate attorney, property manager.

There are a number of specialty providers that serve this niche, which is basically an IRA with a broader capacity for investing beyond the stock market.Several such providers are active here on BP and contribute to the community.There are two types of providers, and the best for you will depend on your investment goals.If you are thinking of something fairly singular and static, a self-directed IRA custodian will be a good fit. 

I know I'll sound like a Millennial Socialist but after 25+ years of seeing it, the singular focus on profits & butt kissing at the expense of employee well being is a case study in toxicity. 

Scott Towle from above was the singular agent/salesperson who1) Excellent communication2) Found a good policy (VT Mutual) and notably, another broker/salesperson also quoted VT Mutual at ~$400 higher! 

I would perform an investment portfolio analysis running on your options on your real estate singularly and cumulatively.