Attorneys who work with private lenders regularly are very familiar with all the requirements of the state in question, plus the usury laws, reporting requirements, etc.  

Just a thought, particularly since most of those scary people in the war zone areas have weapons of their own...and use them regularly!

Welcome to BP @Erin Swann  You might want to start with the BWI meetup group next Wednesday in Columbia. a lot of members here show up regularly. 

With that being said, the types of deeds should be quite similar if not identical in most states; just depends on local practices as well.  

@Curt Davis   Who do you go to for the refi, credit union, regular bank, any conventional lender?

But if you don't plan to have someone checking on the property regularly then you should have a "trusted" contractor meet the locksmith to screw 1st floor windows shut and lock them, and secure back door with wood stud(s).

Banks and brokers regularly try to sell their unsecured debt to the unknowing.With an interest in notes, you both might consider buying an HP10bll calculator and a copy of "Invest in Debt," by Jimmy Napier.

I'm responsible for it's mortgage payment, it's tax payment, it's insurance, it's repairs and regular maintenance, etc.

But for small landlords with regular employment my sense is that landlording gets done out side of business hours, if you still want to do a good job at work.

Now you're subject to regular cash out guidelines or you can wait for Nov 1st (1 year and 1 day) to cash out at market value.If I were you I would cash out at market value if your property has significant market appreciation since you acquired it.Let me know if that helped or if you have any questions.