Otherwise get a partner and allow them to be the sweat equity partner and they do the management part and you do the finding of the deals. 

If you want to go after the money he owes you then that is a possibility, but even that may be worth too much time, energy, and money to do.Bottom line, he will get his so don't sweat it. 

Through sweat equity, I've held most of the properties for at least a few years.

Do you have money relationships that would invest with you in exchange for sweat equity?

I’ve put about $50k in over the last couple years and a lot of sweat equity.

I have many friends who pay much more to rent crappy places (and help to make their landlords rich) than I pay to own in a very nice place, because my mortgage remains steady while their rents have continued to climb year in and year out. and in lower value areas which I would deem as 250k and under you can get those houses paid off in 10 to 15 years no SWEAT.. and now never have to pay mortgage or rent.I remember in 09 in the middle of the crisis.. some areas of the US was probably everything considered the cheapest safest place in the world to live.I was buying new or near new homes at courthouse steps in Fort Myers for 25 to 35k EACH... it was tempting to buy one of those and call it a day  LOL..

I wouldn't sweat it.

Enduring this heat and my body sweating, it hit me "what the hell am I doing with my life"?!??

I very much like the PM sweat equity play..

When you invest, time, money and sweat in a project, your focus and dedication are all in the same place and learning can be accelerated.....as they said, experience is your best teacher.