Their security deposit is enough for me to claim unpaid rent once they leave next month.  

Fled home, but all publicly available info still has that as his residence.Scenario #2)Owner took out home equity loan before passing away about three years later. 

I had always thought that making a public record of personal debt might violate credit laws but the clerk's office didn't know anything about that.I'm kind of stuck here and unsure which way to go.

Ok, so I secured my first big purchase, a little nice flowing 7 unit.

I walk up and say, "Hi my name's Bill, I just spent a few hundred dollars to set an LLC and I'd like you to give me a loan secured against some property.

.”, wouldn't he have to pay the attorney the additional $18,000 to actually own the house before selling it, or did he secure a payment plan or loan for the rest, then sold the house and payed off all monies owed?

I already spoke with @Phineas Howie about this earlier but will publicly state my opinion for the benefit of others.I do not consider medical collections because they are extremely common and I have no way of knowing what stage they are in.

You need the buyer to understand they will keep the security deed until/unless you completely pay them off. 

You can go to small claims for that, in case you don't have a security deposit to cover it and the damages already

Additionally, for purchases, it's possible to do portfolio, but it is difficult as you're working with 5+ different sellers at one time to secure one loan.