If he doesn't have to list the building, do any marketing, hold open houses, or negotiate with multiple buyers/offers, what's left for him to do?

Spend some time out there, cruise a list of houses as often as you can, and just sit in these different pockets until you get a good feel for what you’re looking for.I’ll DM you my neighborhood and some places I like though if you’re interested 

How did you go about finding agents like that, that may have more access to pocket listings?

I did share / co list my house with 3 PM teams before going solo.

I have a waiting list....

We have an accepted offer on a rental property listed as a turn-key for $540K, which was $40k more than the asking price.

We don't really have a check list that we follow, however these are the things we look for when we do complete an inspection:- Smoke and Carbon detectors are operational- No apparent leaks when running faucets and toilets.

Texas active listings increased 0.3 percent over the year to 110,330 listings.

@Blake Edwards  It's certainly illegal here in MA, plus there's a whole list of laws you have to follow with deposits, including disclosing the bank where the deposit is held and paying any interest earned to the tenant.I'd check CA laws, but it's unlikely that you can do what you're proposing.

and the list goes on and on.