Hi Tom,So in your case you are not house hacking to secure the favorable financing that you could get by living in one of the  units and therefore obtaining a purchase money loan for your primary residence since your are buying all-cash.

As @Maxwell Manatt points out- does everyone know their role and what is expected from them - because unperformed duties do not raise someone to the level of a sponsor/issuer and may create the presumption that the specific person is indeed an investor who actually purchased a security. 

@Tyler HoganUnfortunately, the rules do not allow for the use of solo 401k owned real estate as security for a personal loan.

Would it be intelligent of me to secure a title company of my own choosing?

The flip side is the more secure income.

What are some of the ways you guys have secured private money loans, and how has it worked for you?

Banks do not typically look down on HELOCs as they are secured funds.

Recently spoke with a For Sale By Owner who has a multi family 3 unit listed. He mentioned being open to creative financing, but he owes 200k on his mortgage. House worth $360k, for sale at $400k.Total monthly rent br...

Asset protection,Reside in CA, and read about RE investors having the option to start a LLC in NV that's within a trust and also purchase an umbrella personal liability insurance policy (upwards of a $1m - 2m+), to give aspiring RE Investor the proper business structure, security and protection in case of the inevitable lawsuit and/or other costs of doing business. 

And if you aren't looking at multifamily how are you using a VA loan to secure a investment property, I thought VA loans had to be used on a primary residence?