My biggest concern too is, what's to stop them from going around me and just purchasing it themselves without my help?

Hello, Im looking to ask some friends and family to become silent partners but as a "lender" only in my RE investing. I am currently an active RE agent and looking to get into investing. What approach do I use and how...

After move in, everyone stopped paying rent.  

Thanks @Wesley Williams for the intro@Jonathan Smith there's a lot you can do with just a little marketing.You could call the basement an "office" or a "den" and that's something you could market for higher rent.Also, I've written in detail about an "Inn Keeper" profit center where the landlord joint ventures with the tenant to host Airbnb/VRBO guests. 

If they stop paying rent, then give them a quit or pay notice with the required days per your local tenant laws (for my in Louisiana its 5 days).  

I stop in weekly and chat with people and keep my presence known.But these distressed properties are the best deals to be looking for!

also there are a lot of people on here that have helped me out so far in my ventures, i to am just getting startedthis all is just what i have learned to this point

Nothing stops you from visiting the registry oneself and ordering copies or looking at the documents though.I pull all they infor together and create the HUD or now the TRID or whatever they are calling it.

What if you need a roof and 3 tenants stop paying rent?

In turn I will be able to invest my money in a safe way and provide both company ventures benefits at the same time.