The newbie, unknowledgable agents that can't really help you will do it until they realize that they are wasting their time and gas money.

The Tree cutting issue was discussed in more detail on another post intitled "Unlicensed Property Management Company in Jackson Mississippi".

You can cut the house off on 5 acres and sell for a little less than you paid for the total ($150,000 less). 

But I would say “Consider your timing.”Real estate is expensive right now, and money  is expensive right now (APR wise).The fed is expected to start cutting rates later this year.  

That gives a window of time (between the moment you make potential buyer aware, get his commitment/interest to buy and sign a contract with seller), for investor and seller to get together, exchange RE for cash and close the deal by cutting you out of it.

Passive investors need to dig deeper to cut through this.

For example, TenantCloud will push (syndicate) your advertised rental to multiple websites at once, casting a wider net and increasing the chances of finding a renter.No matter how wide you cast the net, you still need to have some pre-screening requirements to weed out the people that are wasting your time.

You're cutting him a check if the property doesn't close?

I would cut the rent in half for that month and than inform them about getting insurance for the future.

Also, make sure there is some kind of waste management agreement.