It doesn't seem like a smart idea to put your brokers name and number on a direct mail piece for that reason.  

The owner called after getting a piece of my mail.

Been on the hunt for a local flip opportunity but haven't gotten all of the pieces to come together yet.

I would not think most brokers would care (Although I could be wrong) as long as they get their piece of it.

Once piece of advice, just buy their raw csv data for the past 12 months sort it yourself so it's usable/meaningful.  

The basic scenario runs like this:  seller gets a marketing piece, or goes to your website, or whatever, then speaks to you after passing through all the hoops set up to weed out the unmotivated.  

I feel like I'm missing some piece of the puzzle, but I just don't know what it is.

Unless you are well capitalized and don't need participation from lenders, then seed capital is the critical piece of the equation to get things going. 

I already have my list of subs and suppliers that I've dealt with for years, so the construction piece is taken care of.  

I also purchased a few pieces of land through a tax deed sale, using profits to purchase a 4-plex I held for a couple years.