If they are wanting an even more hands-on approach, then i would refer them out.

Happy tenants are more likely to renew leases, take better care of the property, and refer others.

The best references I could find would be from the Federal Reserve Banks themselves. 

It depends on what exactly you are referring to with gap funding.

A baseline schedule is a reference timeline to track key project milestones.

Does anyone have any recommendations or something they can refer me to. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

These are people that you believe would give you a good reference when they come across someone looking to buy or sell.Contact each of these people at least once a month.

What I was referring to was that I know two private lenders who have the borrower complete the Deed in Lieu documents at the Closing of the initial loan and then hold them in escrow during the life of the loan.

To give you something as a reference based on your budget (30-40% down with $1.8M), the general cap rates you will see in the Bay Area are roughly 3-5% https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1047-Rich-Ave-Mountain-View-...https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1180-Saranap-Ave-Walnut-Cree...You will find higher cap rates and more 20+ units buildings in SF, Oakland, and Richmond, but keep in mind of their stringent tenant laws.