You are creating procuring cause for the listing agent and now the listing agent does not have to split their commission with an agent representing you.

The procurement fee normally ranges between half of first months rent and a full months rent.

When I am able to procure good numbers on a LTR I will purchase additional at that time. 

You may be lucky she hasn’t found you one yet I can only imagine what a tenant he/she procures would be like.  

Different challenges and obstacles, but both will likely have issues none the less.However, with that said, there are still some great deals that can be found in good areas of St Louis if you are willing to put in the time and effort to procure them. 

Use veterans to procure the housing, use veterans to rehab the housing, use veterans to populate the housing.  

Anywho, AR Code, chapter 42, Sub 1, under definitions defines acting as a broker for someone as:(10) "Principal broker" means an individual expecting to act or acting for another for a fee, commission, or other consideration who:(A) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases real estate;(B) Offers to sell, exchange, purchase, rent, or lease real estate;(C) Negotiates, offers, attempts, or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rent, or lease of real estate;(D) Lists, offers, attempts, or agrees to list real estate for sale, lease, or exchange;(E) Auctions, offers, attempts, or agrees to auction real estate, or participates in a real estate auction;(F) Buys, sells, or assigns or offers to buy, sell, or assign or otherwise deals in options on real estate or improvements to real estate;(G) Collects, offers, attempts, or agrees to collect rent for the use of real estate;(H) Advertises or holds himself or herself out as being engaged in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, renting, or leasing real estate;(I) Assists or directs in the procuring of prospects calculated to result in the sale, exchange, lease, or rent of real estate;(J) Assists or directs in the negotiation of any transaction calculated or intended to result in the sale, exchange, lease, or rent of real estate;(K) Engages in the business of charging an advance fee in connection with any contract whereby he or she undertakes to promote the sale or lease of real estate either through its listing in a publication issued for such a purpose or for referral of information concerning the real estate to brokers, or both; or(L) Performs any of the acts described in this subdivision (10) as an employee of or on behalf of the owner of, or any person who has an interest in, real estate;

The mailing lists look like they would cost about 1000-1500 a piece to get a large enough pool of candidates they say are necessary to procure a deal.

It all comes down to how much work and money you want to invest in the procurement process of the property.  

Well, just about 20 seconds of searching the web and found this regarding how birddogging is clearly illegal in the state of Washington as they consider a birddogger to be a broker and must be licensed.RCW 18.85.010:(1) "Real estate broker," or "broker," means a person, while acting for another for commissions or other compensation or the promise thereof, or a licensee under this chapter while acting in his or her own behalf, who:(e) Engages, directs, or assists in procuring prospects or in negotiating or closing any transaction which results or is calculated to result in any of these acts;then there are exceptions to this rule (although none apply to birddoggers):RCW 18.85.110So, according to the state of Washington, accepting ANY (commission or flat fee or chickens or cattle or sex, whatever) fee makes you a broker.......as I stated before, one should check the laws regarding it in their state first.