You will want to work with a professional provider to help you implement the 401k plan trust, establish an appropriate trust-held bank account and then rollover your wife's prior 401(k) funds. 

I had been using VRBO in the past, but new company is very established in the area for 20+ years, so they may ditch VRBO all together.

The key is to respond immediately and not allow the mice to establish a population.

Once you cross that line and establish that relationship, they will think it's okay to pay rent late, to tell you what they want in the rental, and expect you to do what they ask.  

I do believe that it could be a little weird if they are established and don't already have an agent they are working with.

If the owner wants to require the tenant to pay for the utilities, that can be arranged by the tenant establishing their own accounts with the utility companies, or the owner billing the tenant for the usage.

Well to establish new credit, the first thing I would do is borrow some money from somebody, like $1000 cash.Then what I would do I would do what's called Bank Round-Robin1.

Keep your debts below 50% of your income and pay them as agreed.Paying any debt early is not the best to establish credit, that is done by using credit and paying as agreed.If you take any loan scheduled to be repaid in 5 years and you pay it off in 6 months, you didn't establish a credit history, you demonstrated the ability to payoff an obligation.

@Robert Friou I noticed you do not get an appraisal of the property, what do you use to establish value.

When a tenant is allowed to repeatedly pay late, not pay late fees, you have basically allowed them to establish new rules for the lease.