Understand that great cash flow is going to be compromised with headaches and headaches in real estate cost money.I would focus on where can I find the best balance of Realtor, Property Management and property.

(a hand written agreement on a yellow pad is a contract)Note* Get educated & seek legal advice on any particular laws & regulations in your state as they pertain to real estate contracts, buying a principal residence directly from an owner who may be either in foreclosure or under any sort of duress that could potentially compromise your transaction.2) Once the contract is signed, do I work with a RE Agent to get it closed.If you have a property under contract, RE agents can help you find a buyer and list the property on the MLS, if thats what you mean.

We negotiated a compromise - but it did not favor us particularly.

Because of that, real estate investors in California will compromise on cashflow for appreciation (Oakland, for example), but that's a (rational) choice, nothing stops anyone from chasing pure cashflow in the Great Valley (Fresno), Foothills, or along the Oregon border (this last one is fairly rare). 

So that the properties that the prospective buyer is looking at is pretty serious vs the ones that are just kicking the tire.As for what happened to the OP, I think both should try to compromise on a fair price for the contractor's time.  

You do your numbers and establish the price that yields the numbers you're looking for, and then Do Not compromise.

@Charles Hetrick it is better to stay vacant a little longer than place the wrong tenant so make sure you do not compromise on 1 and 2. 3 you can compromise a bit on and it won't be the end of the world. 1 and 2 will leave you very unhappy if you do

They will replace it if it has been compromised by water.

When cannot resolve or compromise, agree to disagree and move on. 

The compromise, as you said, may be a special offer that’s treated as an offer the guest will never accept anyway.