There is a deal available to us as we speak which I will get into shortly, but I feel it is unusual in the REI sense a would like to see if I can get some guidance on it.Where I am seeking help and/or advice here is in determining what to do first.

This was rather unusual so I reached out to them and asked what had changed. 

I do not know about your area but I am pretty sure that the $1,295 fee would be illegal in CA or if not it would be highly unusual. 

Is that a common thing to do or would most LL’s turn us down just because it’s an unusual situation?

If they asked me that question I would simply say "No, nothing unusual in 5 years of residency" and leave it at that.

It's not unusual for a seasoned agent making a decent income to only sell 10 homes a year. 

There shouldn't be any money due from you unless the fee the seller's agent pays is unusually low. 

The closing agent not taking funds from third parties is actually quite unusual.

So this is unusual indeed, particularly in this market.Out of curiosity, is this deal structured in a way that favors the seller getting the property back? 

Ultimately the land is what we want.The part of this deal that is unusual for me is potentially tearing the home down.