Additionally, I have no background or professional experience in real estate so I am struggling with initiation and access to vital tools and resources.

Hiring a layer to help structure the partnership agreement will help protect you for a lot of your initial concerns and will outline how to terminate the agreement or buy out partners if/when you feel its necessary.

Adding the layer of project management on top of being out of state will add an extra challenge. 

With two rental properties, this will save you a lot of time and expense.The LLC also affords a layer of asset protection to the IRA and ultimately to yourself that would not be in place with property directly held by an IRA.Not all custodians will support the LLC model. 

They are acting as an agent without the laws, ethics requirements, education, and insurance that are vital IMO.It is quite possible you might find many of their representations are not true.

Screening is vital but it is not the only step. 

LLC gives you one extra layer of protection in addition to the insurance.

This is key, a vital player on your team.

I have no idea why that info wouldn't be in the file since it is a vital piece of the probate process.Sometimes that property address for the deceased is a nursing home or other facility.

One technique, I used for years on Lease Options was to 'forget a vital piece of paperwork' when taking an application.