I a interested with 4 partners, but I feel like we are missing something or don't have all the pieces to the puzzle.  

@Jade Goring  Another piece to the puzzle.  

Your advertisement, yard signage, presentation of property and your tone is a puzzle piece working together smoking out the losers and filtering the best applicant down into you property.Frank

I love notes and solving paper puzzles since the late 70's.

I think you put your finger on a key piece of the puzzle when you talked about what you can make on a job compared to what who have to pay someone else work on your rental.I haven't had a "job" for some time. 

Again this is a small piece of the puzzle.

I've done some research on the property, and by putting a few puzzle pieces together, I've been able to gauge that the property owners have inherited the property, and by the looks of their judicial involvement - have largely abandoned the property completely.

Although as you have stated it is hardly passive- I am changing prices daily- contacting renters and perspective renters hourly and constantly putting a puzzle together.

I have several local portfolio lenders that do a great job on that end, so now I need to either find my notes or make the calls again on the hard money and I have then got all pieces of that puzzle nailed down!!!

Ask them their criteria, rates, Arv-based or LTV based (Arv is much less common but probably better for you as you'll need less cash up front), min/max dollar amounts, geography they like to lend in, etc    Most good hmls have a huge network of contractors, investors, appraisers, etc   If you develop rapport, and promise to bring them your business they will sometimes open up their network to help you if there is a missing piece of the puzzle.