The difference is that the HELOC is an open ended product which would allow us to retrieve our income at the end of the month to pay our normal living expenses.

I'll go ahead and state that I am not in any way affiliated with Court Retrieval Service (CRSdata).  

I breed golden retrievers and occasionally watch the dogs that I've produced when their owners go on vacations.

I have a PM but Ive had friends check in on my property and retrieve items for me, I would not recommend it unless you want to strain your personal relationships and/or have amazing insurance.Have you thought about negotiating a lower fee with your PM or paying a la carte for services instead?

I would have charged $45 for a dog the size of a Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, etc (e.g 50 to 80 lb dog).

and filed for easy retrieval; act consistently in everything you do; be fair and honest with everyone you contact; keep personal contact info separate from business contact info.    

Personally, I've found those indie-owned/managed hosts are far more likely to take private feedback to heart and improve their property versus those hosts you click on their headshot and get Glamour Shot of a couple and their golden retriever... alongside a list of 30 rentals they've outsourced to automation and equivalently manage in a way that, in the LTR space, we would simply call slumlords.

3) How are you retrieving your appreciation from the property?

You can either have a lender pull your COE, or you can retrieve it yourself from the VA eBenefits portal.

I also have 2 young daughters and a playful golden retriever which are putting it to the test.