After talking to my RE agent he recommended a company they use.  

Additionally, if there are any resources or reading materials that you could recommend to help me learn more about this process, I would greatly appreciate it.

Recommend you focus on finding a great PMC as they can assist you with buying the right property much more than most agents can.

Is there a recommended option for washer/dryer that doesn't require coins/bills but instead takes phone pay or a card, so that both tenants and prop managers don't have to deal with coins and bills?

If anyone can recommend a less expensive brand that they think is great, I'm all ears.

The area is growing significantly, and thus has what I believe is long term appreciating potential. 

A lot of great advice in this thread - while Greg is right, it's a common mistake, and the right lender won't have you running into this issue - I always recommend buying in an LLC. 

I'd recommend speaking with local investor-friendly agents who can weigh in on YOY property value growth and rental increases for all projections.Lastly, if you are going down the STR route, choose a property/area that will still allow cash flow if the property was used as an LTR.

I recommend a message you can copy and paste

@Satyam Mistry is this the LVP product you still recommend?