I have practiced real estate and this is my third personal investment so I am more savvy than most, some people really would get screwed out of a good deal in a process like this for no good reason.

They also rehab houses on their own, so if we screw up they come in and take the deal over and complete the project themselves.  

Manually accounting for the split paymentsYou can also get screwed pretty hard if they do something to lose their housing. 

You could make up an assignment, not record it, and send it to the person to hold to secure the loan, but if they recorded it, you would be screwed.

But my short term rentals are for people working at a refinery, not people vacationing.My logic is this: most of the people I'm renting to are accustomed to getting screwed out of their money one way or the other. 

But I'd just spot-treat with Orange Oil and sister up the beam with lag screws...

You can be sued (and investigated) if you screw things up.However, if you have available cash on short notice to pay off the underlying note, it isn't a problem.

What if she dies, claims bankruptcy, misses payments, gets a new partner who you don’t get along with and they intentionally screw you over in some way, etc.

Apart from many holes in the walls, the tenant had put screws into all the window frames some of which went all the way through to the outside. 

I would say it all depends on location.For me, Home Depot is the most convenient for building materials (wood, sheetrock, screws), but for finishes including appliances, cabinets, windows, and flooring, I shop around my local distributors.