The only issue I can see by initially circumventing your agent could potentially be "cut out" of the deal and/or their commission when you do end up writing an offer because the listing agent could argue that your agent was not "procuring cause" for your interest in the property since you contacted the listing agent directly and began negotiations. 

Does researching/scheduling/attending  inspections, procuring insurance, etc. count? 

My conviction for doing out of state fix/flips was mainly procured by the desire to have more options and opportunities available rather than having to be tied a more trying California market.

I have found time is better spent building tools to quickly analyze & procure new deals, rather than hyper-analyzing the metrics of one deal, ultimately making initial review faster & more reliable (spend time on the things that make sense, quickly remove things that don't, even junior-level staff can identify good opportunities with the tools, etc).For example, if I'm modeling a SFR to 3-4 unit scheme, I can quickly check the $/sf/mo for each of my proposed units and get a good idea of the GOI without having to manually dig through &  find rent comps in that City/Zip:- So instantly I know in Woodland Hills that a Studio is close to $5/sf/mo on avg, 1 Bedroom closer to $4/sf/mo, with the 2 & 3 Bedrooms closer to $3/sf/mo.

There's typically a time limit to how long that lasts, but the fact is this agent helped you and is considered the "procuring cause" of the deal, so you should honor that and ensure they are paid.It was unethical of you to approach the buyer and try to cut out the agent, and it is definitely unethical of the seller, which makes me question whether the seller is someone you want to deal with. 

Get help from Fund & Grow after paying them $3000 in procuring funding to buy one of Morris Invest's Turn-key new construction 3 bdrm, 2 bath homes for $68500 plus closing.

You procure a cash-out loan from the bank and use that cash to pay off the partners.

the TC is not the procuring cause of the transaction and that is the definition of needing a license  bringing buyer and seller together for compensation. 

.- 50% of 1st months rent when procuring a new tenant.- 10% project management fee for project $2,500+.- $25/hr for extreme maintenance circumstances (ie hurricane clean up)Thats it... neat, simple, easy to understand, AND transparent.

That doesnt help you much, but I would focus on starting small, and trying to procure your own financing on a multifamily property and live in a unit while you rehab others.