We were also promised a paying tenant in the house at closing; a specific rental amount; a specific cap rate; and told that if the rental rate was not met, the sales price for the house would be lowered to maintain the cap rate.

What is the property costing them to maintain every year/ month.  

I was just considering the best way to maintain a property while it was rented...Example: Some landlords include yard care and it's included in your slightly higher rent But my dad is the type of tenant who pulls a hank hill on his yards.

Wouldnt you know it but six short months later that lady called me up again saying that she fired the other company and wanted to work with us.We now manage it for 8%, the lady got a couple thousand dollars back after the furniture was sold, the tenants pay for their own utilities and maintain the yard, there is no more headache about permits and regulations.

Some might say it's "keeping the PM in check" and some might say it's "communicating about how I want the properties maintained". 

That makes me think they're not doing a good job maintaining the property.

It would also be nice to have some extra cash to make improvements, increase equity and just give you peace of mind... plus a happy wife means a happy life.If you feel comfortable buying another duplex after getting used to your new baby, maintaining a new home then you can decide if you want to use your savings to buy another investment property prior to your wife staying home.

Do you maintain a separate bank account for each property in the series LLC?  

Be sure to maintain the minutes of your LLC, if you don't run it like a separate entity it won't work like one for you.

I suggest that they consider how to use materials that might be able to sustain water and still maintain its integrity if that's possible.