As far as driving traffic (marketing), I'm currently taking a course online about Google Ads & overall digital marketing (including Facebook Ads, email/content marketing, social media, etc).

General contractor labor is in short supply; we raised a generation of young people who think they are too good to swing a hammer, so it's mostly a few GCs old enough to be eligible for social security doing it all, under terms/rates/timelines of their choosing. 

I read on here that there are some parts of it that are reviving and are quite hot markets.The suburbs are a totally different story- several of them are very vibrant economically and socially.

He is dependent on his savings and possibly Social Security...

I would also make sure that you have it listed on your social media and through any local meetup websites you have access to.

We'll live off the income from the properties until we start collecting social security at 70 (if it is still in existence by then!)

I am not a social worker.

You have email, phone, text, social media so it's not too hard to reach and get to know people.

Open house, social media, blogging, talking to friends and family, door knocking...

Unless you get lucky with your social media marketing and find a competent unrepresented buyer and you both can figure out how to complete all of the state required and legally required residential documents, which are not difficult, but it would take time and trial and error to complete correctly.