I had paid over $30k in fees last year to have someone bring be a qualified buyer for properties I was selling. 

You can collect a lease option fee or assignment fee and be out of the transaction.

And speaking to the mayor today (small town), he knew all about the property and said that if the VA doesn't release it, then even after the house gets demolished, they cant sell the property and they would still have back taxes and yard fees to handle.

You'll find that many often require substantial fees in addition to your monthly payment in order to finance projects outside of their normal scope.

Read your contract and make sure you get paid any late fees collected.

$800 month for costs is not going to be accurate especially since the HOA fees are going to be floating at 23% of cost.  

They evaluate loans normally yearly, some have renewal fees if they have to spend time on it.

I am not talking about a flat fee service, I am talking about a fee for services brokerage where you get what you pay for and agents get paid up front a portion for their services with the rest being paid at closing.

We don't charge any fees up front, but I am sure it happens elsewhere.

My company's Excel-based REIA program uses well over 10,000 lines of VBA code that is hidden from the user, but which provides functionality like custom menus and toolbars, data-input wizards, report customization, etc.