The activities of wife with respect to the rental properties included, among other things, cleaning common areas, collecting coins from washing machines, performing repairs at the properties, communicating with tenants, collecting and depositing rent, maintaining insurance policies, purchasing materials for the properties, as needed, paying bills and keeping books and records for tax accounting purposes.

You have no obligation to communicate with her.

Try and be responsive and communicative with the agent. 

I am looking for a platform that leverages technology heavily so that I can self-manage the property efficiently without much time commitment.

@David MartinThey will want to see an account with those dollars in there - but if you don’t want to pull the dollars on the HELOC until you close - I’d call the listing agent and explain that to them and then they would probably accept something proving you have the available credit & then over communicate you will not have a financing contingency.

They must responsive, punctual, clearly lay it fees, communicate with me if something goes wrong with collecting rent and their solutions, laying out how well their maitinence program is, and overall professional with recommendations!

We felt that our downpayment was being used more efficiently.

Don't underestimate communicating with neighbors, physical signs at the property, Craigslist (and other non-syndicated online marketplaces).

If a tenant reaches out and communicates that they will be late we typically like to see that they make a portion of the rent payment and then pay the remainder at a later date. 

A couple of pointers - reviews on Airbnb and VRBO are worth their weight in gold, and communication with guests is the #1 key to great reviews.