I've learned that almost anything that hits 2% rule or higher could be more of a headache than the "paper analysis" makes it seem like..

I'm brand new to real estate and reading up on the general transactions of property purchasing & selling, but it seems that there are non-physical pitfalls such as liens, titles, and possibly others.  I only know ...

Do I need to serve the papers?

In my area, these papers are sometimes at Doctor's offices and grocery stores, on the way out, and usually free.  

As an area investor who does not reveive the paper the links you provide helps me keep attuned to the local market.

well I grew up slinging paper for my dad.. its a great way to get leads.. 1% rule alive and well.put 1000 out get 10 leads make one sale.. at least it was that way for my dad in the 60s and early 70s.it was illegal on the mail box.. and some of our paper slingers even though told not to still did.what I found the best was wedged in the garage door.. this way when the garage open it feel down and they could see it even if they don't open the garage and it stayed there for a long time,  Plus on neighborhoods with snout garages you could get a lot of paper slung out pretty quickly.especially in row house situations  Like San Francisco but boy those hills got us.. !!!

Cash flow on paper was $550/month for a SF home.

The 5ghz signals almost can't even pass through a piece of paper (ok, I'm exaggerating somewhat), but they do degrade quickly the more they have to pass through walls and such.I also wouldn't discount the damage a simple staircase can do to wifi signals. 

But would you happen to know the kind of paper work we would need for a private sale?

When I turned 30, I got the life direction compass out of my pocket and put some thoughts down on paper to get a better idea of exactly where I was headed.