The only thing that they do on a continuous basis that I really feel like I need them for is the guest communication.

Be sure to communicate your goals to the PM so they know what you want. 

Communication has been poor in my opinion so I am always looking for a back up option.

He told me he wants to be more liquid and would sell me my favorite of the five properties (or all five properties), or wants me to find buyers for the five properties since he wants to be more liquid in a few months for  a larger development opportunity.

Did you parents have a directive, will, etc communicating their preferences?

We negotiated with the owners and stayed on top of them to be in constant communication How did you finance this deal?

Talk to the agent there and get a personal sense of what they get out of the brokerage.If you have the time and want to do the research, any or all of these should help you make a great decision! 

Most can do their work through email, document sharing, client calls and skype/video if you want face to face communications.   

I used to cold call all the time, and would scoff at the idea of texting as an initial means of communication. 

Include instructions for payment and communication.