Even if you aren't ready at the moment with a property or funds.....they should be willing to answer questions and describe their various loans and available instruments.

The only question of ethical or moral is with the seller, who did execute the deed of trust and agreed to abide by its terms, and is a party to the security instrument.

You could invest to various RE debt instrument that yields between 5 to 10%

But if he bought another passive instrument he still got the cash, lost the anchor and could now vacation wherever he wanted.

A Deed of Trust is a security instrument, like a mortgage.  

Sean McDonnell was instrumental to the purchase of the property and continued success.

Yes a deed would but a mortgage is just a security instrument. 

-The first Punk Rock Museum in the US opened in Las Vegas with a comprehensive collection of punk music, lifestyle, and culture; it features a bar, tattoo parlor, wedding chapel, and jam room where visitors can play instruments played by famous punk rockers.

The lien instrument (deed of trust or mortgage depending on state) will be recorded, and the original promissory note and any other disclosures will be sent to the lender, and once the lien instrument is recorded the lender will also be sent the original. 

Bonding is a seperate financial instrument where another company basically takes on the financial responsibility of you fulfilling the law or a contract.