difference between a straw buyer and a cash/credit partner is:

1) a straw buyer uses a stolen identity or lies on the loan application to qualify for owner-occupied financing; a cash/credit buyer uses their own identity and their credit is good enough to qualify for non-owner occupied financing.

2) a straw buyer is offered money just for the use of their name on the loan application and may never even know what the investment is; a cash/credit partner is involved in the decision making process, understands the investment, and is offered a split of the proceeds when the deal is profitable.

3) a straw buyer transfers title and relinquishes control to the mastermind behind the scheme once financing is in place; a cash/credit partner remains on title with the other partners (eg. tenants in common, tenants by the entirety, etc.) or arranges to have title held in escrow (eg. a land trust) until the property is sold and profit is split between the partners.