I got a list a mile long of absent owners I havent been able to locate, been to town hall, talked to neighbors, no phone number, mail comes back to me.

We have strong and recent comps within 1/4 mile of the subject property above our target exit price.My question is - how would you suggest securing our interest as the 2nd investor?

So neat that technology can make all of this possible across the thousands of miles.  

@Max Tanenbaum I've shown units after a 20-mile run on a couple of occasions.  

In addition to this, any house within 100 miles of a major city will be within the daily commute.

Keep track of your miles for IRS purposes.Bring a camera or if you have a smart phone with a camera then you're good to go.Have a dedicated notebook to write down addresses.

For example, my blog is about while working full time, buy and hold investing, 0% Down Rentals, Personal Properties turned rentals, Long distancing investing, self-managing 3,000+ miles away.

The house, the barn and three acres, seven and a half miles from ANY town.The cow was not included, the 'neighbor' came and walked her home.It last appraised over 100k but I'm sure I'll stay here 'til 6 strong neighbors tote me out in a box...

I believe that I could get the house re-appraised in a couple of months for 200,000-210,000 , possibly more based on what is for sale right now within a .5-1 mile radius.  

I'm not sure what you need comps for or where the properties are but the very best way is to drive around on a sunday afternoon and target an area with a 1/4 mile radius of your home....expand it out 1/2 mile if you don't see any rental signs.