Approached the seller asking they pay all closing costs, received enough credits to buy down the interest rate back into the 5-range (current rates were in the 7-range).

Does anyone have any insights or experience with this approach?

Any thoughts on how I might approach the conversation with them?

In my limited experience with this small number of syndications, they were very desperate to buy basically anything in order to have "deal flow" (these properties were not for sale, they approached me off market and made me ridiculous offers which I couldn't refuse despite not planning to sell these properties for another 10 years or so). 

Not specifically referring to RTR however this is the type of experience I have heard countless times over the years from investors.

She has a very straight forward approach in business.

This approach not only keeps tenants happy but also helps you maintain long-term cash flow by reducing turnover costs.

I'm obviously and pretty rightly eby the ROW agents approach.

Remember you are using debt to make this investment, not reserves  sitting in your bank account so I recommend a more conservative investment approach. 

However, for a commercial property or a commercial residential (5+ unit) property value is based on the income approach and reducing expenses in this case by producing electricity factors into that math and very well might increase the valuation enough to make sense.