Maybe it has the positive effect of creating more inventory for long term renters but that seems negligible. 

How do we not the ground running in the most effective way?

By communicating with several brokers as well as individuals, I have a great circle of agents sending me properties to consider as well as financing leads.  

This builds trust and can break the ice for you which will ease your nerves when communicating with the seller.  

We kept our lines of communication open about me buying the house.

I am trying to find a buyer/solution for the next property:Inglewood, CA 90303 Number Of Bedrooms: 3 Number Of Bathrooms: 1 Year built: 1947 Effective Year Built: 1947 Finished Square Feet Total: 1,204 Lot Size: 6,244 Lot Width: 52 Lot Depth: 120 Number Of Stories: 1 Number Of Units: 1 Number Of Rooms: 7 The Tax Year: 2012 Garage Carport: Garage Looking for $365k, selling with occupants that are related to former owners.

No effect. 

Some people prefer to communicate in more passive methods so for that it could help, it would depend I guess on if your website is good or not to me. 

What are some other lesser know yet effective methods or capturing leads before they go to the MLS/auction?  

GC's that fail on large projects don't do much to change the crappy reputation that GC's  sometimes have, and failure of big projects can have blighting effects on an entire community.