They've been avoidant, unwillingly to communicate with us/disclose their names in the beginning, and hid whenever they saw my mom.

Send a notice: The landlord can post a notice in a visible place and send a notice by mail to the tenant's last known addressRemove belongings: The landlord can remove the tenant's belongings and store themRecover costs: The landlord can recover the costs of moving and storage from the tenantSell belongings: If the tenant doesn't claim their belongings, the landlord can sell them at a public sale(End)Please only communicate with the tenants - all of them - in written form only so it can be used in any collection/court engagement. 

(many contractors are going to bite off more than they can chew and communication will be key). 

Effort is still required to communicate with the Craigslist advertisers, but having software to lift the deals out of Craigslist would surely be worth $1,000. 

YES, you can get the work done for less than this on occasion, in particular if you are doing some or all of the labor yourself, not pulling permits, or purchasing stolen materials as a starting point. 

I agree with @Michael Smythe that you need a property manager that communicates well. 

We have been customers for more than five years, we would appreciate having better communication when it comes to the property managers having Important issues to solve.Therefore, please contact me at any time at 703-420-0620 or 703-317-7078.

It may be that they are underwriting the property at a significantly different valuation than what you are using or that they feel that you or the deal is excessively risky.Great advice here, and a good HML will have an account rep or someone to communicate with you through the process so that you know. 

Ultimately, clear communication and expectations handled in a respectful manner can avert any issue.

A good deal is one where the rent covers most or all of your expenses.