Can someone please let me know the mechanics of the recording process on an owner-financed deal?

You have a mechanical skillset you are perfecting so you will always have your trade to barter for access.

Are there separate mechanicals for each unit?

Why are you re-installing mechanicals on vacant properties - after they've been stolen?

But larger repair items such as appliances and mechanical, plumbing, electrical, roof windows doors etc should still fall under the landlord's responsibility.

I should have also added that the reason I am pulled towards real estate as a wealth generating mechanism (I.e. the appreciation aspect) is that I bought my first house with ~$20K of my own money in Baltimore (supplemented with 6K of grants), bought at the right time and did a little fixing it up, used the proceeds from sale of Baltimore home to get into the lower end of the market in quickly appreciating Seattle.

Are the separate mechanicals for each unit? 

It might be a value-add for prospective tenants to know there is a mechanism in place to leave early.

All of the mechanicals, including permit dates and any identifiers.

I usually spend my time, if the seller is present, keeping him/her out of the way if needed, pumping tenants for info, taking measurements for room sizes and drawing floor plans with doors and windows and noting appliances and taking pictures.We look for value add properties that are in decent structural and mechanical condition (except for one deal that we got really cheap).