I finally managed to catch the mail man one day and I engaged him, he informed me the owner had passed back in September, it was now February, turns out I had missed him by just about a month when I had begun trying to track it down.

We have engaged an attorney but I am looking to learn as much as possible before we get into the weeds with him. 

You need someone with very specific knowledge to talk to those owners as many are investors themselves and will not engage with a random cold caller.VAs are very helpful for other admin and marketing tasks.

This allows me to engage with their network.What have you read that I should read?

What approaches / methods have worked for you as a real estate investor to find and engage private lenders (individuals/couples, businesses, corporate)?

Be sure to be as active and engaging as possible.

.; a comp that was worth a certain amount several months ago might be worth quite a bit less today, because the market has slowed down a lot. ...because of this, real estate investors engaged in any strategy (like flipping) that requires hitting an ARV should be very conservative with their financial models right now...even experienced flippers BRRRRers are missing their ARVs these days, and some folks are losing their shirts...I'd also suggest reading up on how flippers and BRRRRers analyze properties, since your plan is to rehab this place. 

Stay active on the site and engage the community, those who do get the most out of it.

Always looking to learn more and connect with companies engaging in this type of opportunity.

. - and that a locksmith has been engaged to change the locks upon their departure.