The short-term reward of higher cashflow can be negated when the crap hits the fan like you shared, and years of profit are lost.

I have a few properties I own and I also manage some, so I'm not completely green to the world of real estate, however I want to dive into wholesaling and that's totally out of my realm of expertise. 

One can believe in a safety net and basic social equity and protections without rewarding bums and criminals.

Not all agents will have your best interests in mind so protect yourself.That leap you take to start a change in your life will typically always have some bumps and struggles, working through them is usually where the most rewarding growth happens.Keep us updated how you are moving forward.

If you know how to solve this problem please share your expertise below!!! 

I recommend developing a subject matter expertise and going from there.

Several books like "Am I being too subtle" will help to understand risk-reward.

These are all very very different assets and require very different expertises and experiences.

Thanks @John Mckee  - we did end up just giving them a proposal that built in their agent's fee (and then some).This was a good lesson for us - at first we took it personally but then realized that the tenant just doesn't want to deal with (or has no expertise in) deal(ing) with it and they really don't care what they end up paying.

I'd like to know how you guys would reward good GCs.