Her job has her gone from home a lot of times either off shore or just out of town and when she is gone she will ask me if I can stop by the unit to check up on it or grab her packages or adjust her thermostat so the a/c is running like crazy. 

There is the positive cash flow while having a tax loss benefit too consider with this method, but if you 'buy and hold forever' (somewhat our plan also) there comes a point where with rising rents and declining interest payments when that tax loss benefit goes away.

Banks decline people that are self-employed, not because their tax returns are too complicated, but because they take massive deductions (legal, I know) which reduces their adjusted gross income.Incidentally, banks turn down W2 borrowers that take massive deductions for business related expenses which also reduces their adjusted gross income.I would suggest you look on BP to find an investor friendly local lender that you can sit down and have a coffee with. 

Also, you can never mix your own cash and your SDIRAs funds, nor can you and your SDIRA 'indirectly benefit each other'.

What's the value add or benefit to them?

Currently, I've just learned of bigger pockets and listen to a podcast a day during my workout and will be looking into other benefits of the site.

Would it benefit me at all to get any other accounts to show that I have many that I am paying on time? 

Upside is benefits from appreciation over the years.

What is the point of having a buying agent when you can find houses yourself on sites like redfin or Trulia? I keep hearing that they can get deals straight from the MLS but don't all listing on the MLS get posted on ...

Also keep in mind, you might have to adjust the rents slightly now that utilities are not included.