It really depends on your family. Plenty of people have friends that they trust far more than they trust family. I know plenty of people that have had their parents steal from and/or defraud them.
I think it comes down to working with what your resources afford you and weighing the risks vs. rewards.
By involving friends it's entirely possible to avoid a mortgage altogether. Living mortgage and rent-free buys a lot of tolerance for others in my experience.
You choose your friends, not your family. So unless you're not discriminating who your friends are, I don't see how it's similar to family at all.
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