I had a few trusted mentors that would often tell me things that I didn't want to hear, but I listened to anyway.

If data format and implementation specifics are a closed discussion because of "mixed company", then BP Nation can't do much to help.

Pick a few investments that excites you, makes good financial sense to you and others you trust, and don't look back.Rick

To better frame the question - I was thinking of structuring a deal by using a land trust.

All kinds of liens can attach to title after you make your loan and secure it with a mortgage or deed of trust.

I think of an escrow fee as money the closing agent (escrow company) puts in their pocket for services they render, such as, the 50/50 escrow fee you mention, plus demand fee, wire fee, grant deed fee, trust certification fee, loan tie-in fee, etc...all the fees paid to escrow that one typically sees on a hud-1.

First contractor walked, second was paid in full by my 'helping manager' ( my fault for trusting someone else with a property inspection and payment) without walking the property so when I came home two days later from Baltimore and discovered this I had to hire a 3rd contractor to fix and finish everything else since the 2nd contractor wouldn't honor his work.Some of the overage was due to all the electrical nightmares we found when the city required me to remove the sub-panel from the garage and place it in the house.

Save your cash for maintenance, pay extra on mortgage principal to get some equity, talk to CPA about tax breaks, talk to small bank that does portfolio loans, talk to a commercial realtor CCIM about a commercial property wealth plan, pref in the town you are focusing in.Read everything about multis here on BP Nation,http://search.yahoo.com/search?

There is no mortgage against the property, and the property is owned by a land trust.

Blogs can be written by anyone, unless you know the blog is written by a trusted source you could get some really bad advice.