I also understand that it would be 'difficult' given my length of experience, but it sounds like it's possible, meaning the balls in my court to convince someone to lend me the capital.  

I recall a similar situation in downtown Los Angeles around the Staples Center Magic Johnson, and company purchased several blocks, and chain length fenced / junk yard dogged it up, as I recall a good year++ before Up-Scale development began. 

They could even provide a hand written rent roll at minimum it should include length of years of tenancy , rent ,  lease etc. 

Not all public records are free on line and offices charge for burning copies, title examiners pay a different fee and have greater access to historical records than someone off the street, so even if you tried it's not going to be free and it may not be cheap while you get copies or pull data that later you find to be irrelevant to title.Laypersons can check names in title and search liens, but beyond that you can't do an abstract of title.The unmentioned obvious agenda of trying is to avoid title insurance in some quick flip, that depends on the past search, next buyer's search, what title companies might be on the hook, what deeds were used, the type of property, length of prior ownership, if any construction was done and other factors need to be carefully assessed before you try to avoid a title policy fee that you can probably obtain at a discounted rate or at a negotiated coverage amount.

Arm's length investor with a separate property manager and a desire to add expense and complication....sure....LLC is right up your alley.

I lived in the house for 2 years, and since then I have been renting it and managing it on my own, until this year when I decided I really would prefer to be arm's length away from the action and would rather hire a property manager full time.  

The lease has to be an "arms length" lease at or near current market rents.When it goes to court the judge can throw out a lease that is given way below market etc. to friends of family.

After reading the agreement and similar overzealous length I told her no thank you.

Don't know NY law, and you should.Typically, you would provide an accounting within some length of time.

The refi lender won't like the way the pay-off looks because of arms length transaction requirements?