Would love to chat about your experience and any tips considering you are also out of state. thanks in advance! 

They also admitted that the bedbugs weren't there until recently and that they likely brought them in but they still feel that I should be financially responsible for removal costs (averaging about $2500). 

His gas and tires are his problem, not yours.

@John Fider - Did you ever receive anything in response to this?

If it is theirs, then they should pay for it to be repaired, but if it is yours, then you are responsible for maintaining it despite what the lease says (the exception being if the tenant damaged it). 

I contacted my past buyer to see how he was doing and get referrals and he explained his situation and needed to sell.

We added a few of our properties on the insurance companies websites, but we are not getting any responses.

I'd like to make tenants responsible for lawn/yard maintenance and provide a self propelled push mower.

I realize now we need to work on our credit, which we will do in the best responsible ways over the next few months. 

The reason I ask is I bought my first new home last year and a few things stuck out.  1) My realtor made his easiest $18k EVER.