I reached out to the owner directly and structured a deal whereby I 'offered' more than his asking price, but had him pay maximum allowable closing costs so preserve as much of my cash as possible for repairs.

What are the best steps when one is ready to buy a property to preserve anonymity, keep personal and investment assets separate while also setting it up correctly for a long term hold?

@Steve Chan Capital preservation.

I have since transitioned to the BRRRR to preserve my capital, but still think turnkeys are a good way to get your feet wet. 

We're always trying to find the best of the following, so a (relatively) nationwide database of these types of companies would be invaluable:- Law firms (Real Estate and/or Foreclosure attorneys)- Investor friendly Title Companies - General Contractors (grass and snow maintenance can be difficult as well, so landscaping could be a worthwhile facet of this too)- REO Agents- Property Preservation Companies/Mold Remediation Companies- Alarm Services - Tax monitoring services- Investor friendly insurance companies

In turn, that saves you on some income tax which just makes that leverage money even cheaper.That being said, I'm with you on taking it slow and preserving your cash. 

I know someone paying 13% today for construction2) They know the value of the property and how to preserve it.  

Look up Asset Preservation Inc., IPX 1031, etc. 

Hard assets...real estate, precious metals, etc tend to preserve value here. 

I think you have to evaluate the components independently: the deal, the price, the financing - if you can get a lower price by using bank funding and your rates are also better using bank funding, thats two reasons not to do seller financing.The only reason I would pay more is to get a closing cost credit to preserve cash.The fact that you know there are is good, but not a major factor,  I'd leave that aside for the consideration of the deal.