Past landlord references etc.The bad ones that constantly exploit landlords only do so because of new landlords who do not vet their tenants.

PS -  the tenant apparently has previous professional real-estate knowledge so I want to keep everything on the up and up, and not leave her any loopholes to exploit.

Why wouldn’t someone want to exploit every resource to maximize the chance of success?

I think that whole business model is shady and exploitative in so many ways that I just can't get behind it.

Not to mention the exploitation of all of it..... 

Some will exploit.

One of the clauses states ‘representatives, and assigns, shall not, for a period of two (2) years, initiate, solicit, negotiate, or enter into a contract for real estate with any of  (wholesalers name) Contacts or seek to by-pass, compete with, exploit, avoid or circumvent (wholesalers name) from any business opportunity by utilizing any (wholesalers name) Contacts or confidential or proprietary information obtained from (wholesalers name) to their detriment.Is it ok to hunt for deals and just ensure that I document dates of contact so should a situation arise where they also put the same opportunity in front of me I can validate I was already speaking with them or am I overthinking it? 

The beauty of real estate is that you can leverage well and the assets are relatively illiquid, each of which create ways to exploit pricing mismatches. 

If you are a principal in the contract as a buyer or seller, you have an interest in said property and can exploit that interest in selling or buying.

If your interested in that you should look at what assetts you bring to the table and exploit those as much as possible.