They find the properties, rehab if necessary, rent out and maintain, while I provide the money, create a mortgage note and then sell the mortgage note to a third party.  

Is there a creative solution out there so we can both achieve our goals while maintaining the partnership?  

I'm going to have to look at the cost to install sprinklers and maintain & mow grass, versus the cost of commercial weed tarp, decorative gravel, simple drip irrigation system, and drought tolerant plants for that area. 

The only thing that matters at their age is that they can maintain their present life style to the end of their days with the money they have saved. 

What we do NOT have going for us is the ability to 'do-it-yourself,' since I can mess up a wet dream when it comes to maintaining my own property, let alone another one.

My area is not growing rapidly, no large increase in valuations, no increase in costs to build/maintain and little job growth. 

We've learned the phrase start small, to learn the process, make mistakes and optimize the system before moving on to larger deals.

But you can avoid that by simply maintaining your rental. 

You can track and itemize all your purchases, net worth, net income etc to help you identify how to optimize and set goals.

The city may require you to maintain specific standards like architecture.