Well, that's digital communication for ya'.It appears you thought my term "gushing" meant the OP was making a lot of money.

How do you communicate to your contractors what you want in terms of design ,materials, etc. 

Another reason is I have an elderly mother who owns properties and that are not being efficiently managed and we have had to step in.

What's the best and most efficient way to track income and expenses?

Faster to scale and more efficient as you're dealing with usually sophisticated parties. 

Here's a solid article with some questions to ask before hiring a property manager https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/2015-10-09-questions-ask-property-managementOne thing that has really helped me and my owners is setting communication expectations upfront.

I have listened to thousands of hours of BP podcasts (as well as others) and audio books on the various forms of investing.I am "that guy" with 800+ credit, what I believe to be more than adequate knowledge, great communication skills, a real estate sales background, and very little REI experience.I'm anxious to find a great Core 4 (Lenders, Deal Finders, Contractors, Property Managers) and start a successful buy-and-hold REI career, locally and/or long distance. 

This is standard procedure for most builders these days and is very helpful for communication, scheduling and budget.Remember its all about relationships and as the developer you are the leader so its up to you to provide clear direction in no uncertain terms exactly what you expect and when then measure that performance and hold the team accountable to the goal in a way that is positive and encourages the results you're after. 

This isn't a "woe is me post" but I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to do walkthroughs of properties with my sellers.

It is a low power way for devices to communicate.