There are all sorts of nasty tactics that are used to make a listing unviewable - the one mentioned in the OP, the removal of the key from the lockbox, changing the lockbox combination, etc.  

Modern homes and newbies from other major cities are my thing for 2016.Wishing you the best!

It's also not a typically followed strategy, it was a combination of desperation and 18-22 hr days.

In the case of using / combining hard money or bank financing, how is the privately invested money secured if the bank or the hard money lender is in the 1st position?

Nothing wrong with that - it combines the benefits of the 2 main strategies (cash purchase vs. listing) and gives the seller options that a single strategy would not provide.  

And , yes, some of these folks had individual or combined income over six figures...a few out earned me!  

The rental was purchased using a combination of personal funds and a ULOC, so there's no note on the house, at the moment.  

_r=0http://www.katzmatz.net/lawyer/2013/04/01/Residential-Real-Estate/Apartment-Combinations-and-Renovations-%E2%80%93-Be-Prepared-!

This is a combination of the cash flow for the borrower/guarantor and all related entities.

There are self directed IRA custodians that hold accounts and can process non-traditional investments that have set fee schedules based on some combination of the dollar value of the account, number and type of investment assets and per-transaction charges.