You will then have a few options with that rent money....you can put it into principal or you can start saving it to purchase yet another property.

Could you have an automatic lock put in  with a self-closing hinge?

@Ramy MosbahWe are moving over to Microsoft dynamics 365 which has some built in AI analytics and an AI builder that you can train it to pull data (ocr) from documents, provide insights on leads in your funnel and find data trends.It’s still way to new of a technology to put any reliance behind it besides having fun with it or using it to tell you where to eat on a vacation or assist in writing a post

HELOC:Pros:Flexible borrowing - borrow as needed giving you flexibilityLower initial costsVariable interest rates - can be a con if rates rise, it can also be beneficial if rates decreaseCons:Variable interest rates - rate can fluctuateMore risk of foreclosure - you're adding a second loan

The 20% down terms were the same and I think we could've still put together the deal because it allowed the tenant time to vacate (the terms of the contract was to allow the tenant up to 90 days to vacate, so extending closing for that would have potentially worked).

But, it would put additional pressure on finding a good team to help oversee everything.Atlanta is a hot market, but it is also very competitive.

Lastly, is it possible to put a “seal” on a current shingled roof, should there be any leaks?

Some weeks no effort, others when you need to "put out a not working out tenant" more work.   

There are other services, and they will simply put out a higher volume of calls vs some of these VAs

You take a bit of risk with that method, because if the place doesn't stay full you take a hit.