Or is it a MLM approach, providing a main source of income for the gurus/coaches to go fund their own deals?   

As long as you promote your properties for rent on the main channels, such as Zillow(One of the best, as it crawls quite a few sources), AZ Republic/AZ Central (Heavily read by many PHX residents), East Valley Tribune, Craigslist (inferior, due to scamming and lack of reach, but still works and free), etc, you will generate a lot of interest.

The main reason for the partnership is to use the partner's income to qualify for a better loan.

Its a SFH, needing floor joist sistering and a full cosmetic rehab (LVP in main/carpet in bedrooms, paint, new cabinets etc etc). 

We just purchased a 7br in Kissimmee, FL site unseen mainly due to having a rockstar real estate agent team willing to visit, video and coordinate everything. 

This would mainly be in a higher priced area(I live in the East Bay of Bay Area).Find a partner willing to invest and to live in the house(one of the homes) purchased.Find a home or lot for sale that is big enough to be subdivided while maintaining a good size lot on each parcel. 

Demo can be a lot of permitting (clean air asbestos recycling utility mains capped, sewer septic ground issues.  

"Whole main house for rent"? 

Id love for RE to be my main focus of investments

I'm far from an expert, but the main one I'd look at is ROI.