she did not arm herself with basic information and basic help in the form of an attorney on retainer.....   

We decided that keeping the property as a cash flowing rental, while retaining access to equity was the best of both worlds.

However, your grandfather still should have gotten an owner's title insurance policy; which should step in to handle to this up to the policy limit (typically the purchase price).If he bought it all cash and decided to forego owner's title insurance, you may be out of luck.Again, I'm no expert on this and I always retain a third party real estate attorney to handle title, and I purchase an owner's title insurance policy on all my acquisitions. 

If I had $1.5 billion, I wouldn't take chances right now, I'd place it in something that would retain it's relative value against the dollar.

You will need to retain enough information to pass a test and you need to pass a criminal background check. 

The consequences of the affordable housing crisis are dire and wide-ranging.Businesses will struggle to attract and retain employees, which leads to reduced productivity and economic growth.Reduced purchasing power of low and middle-income families will reduce consumer demand and lead to economic stagnation.I believe in the power of the market to drive productivity.

I only know of two property managers with this skill.I suggest hiring a skilled property manager if you retain the property.Let me know if you (or anyone) would like to know how to select a good property manager.To Sell or to HoldThe goal of real estate investing is financial freedom.

If I bought 10 properties with these loan types and kept them all under my name I'd be putting myself at an extremely high level of exposure to lawsuits.Is there some kind of workaround to place the properties in holding companies while still retaining the residential loans?

I'm no lawyer, but the CA Statue of Frauds prohibits contracts by text message in Section 1624 (d)(d) An electronic message of an ephemeral nature that is not designed to be retained or to create a permanent record, including, but not limited to, a text message or instant message format communication, is insufficient under this title to constitute a contract to convey real property, in the absence of a written confirmation that conforms to the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b).

I’m a big fan of learning by doing, I don’t really retain knowledge unless I apply it repeatedly.