It's two seperate transactions for tax purposes,  neither one changing the outcome of the other just because they occured at the same time... in theory it would probably be better to simply have the amount of the commission deducted from closing costs if at all possible, but if compensation was already being offered througu listing broker, it is what it is.

Any lender licensee or realtor licensee cannot suggest to treat people differently and they can never do it in real life.

There are plenty of groups where investors share deals and offer advice.

You could offer your services in exchange for ownership. 

Oren Klaff Power Move: Frame this offer as "a hamster wheel of overpriced leads" and compare it to your own scalable, free method."

We were able to get a full assessment with suggestions to improve the terrain and building in order to support fire prevention.

Suggest you do the same (even if they are two page documents).

They will just wait for you to cancel the contract and offer on the listing themselves. 

I met the guy and wrote an offer on the hood of my car.

You can look for a PM company that offers limited service.