That probably makes me a glutton for punishment, but I look forward to educating myself through the experiences of others before making the leap. 

His punishment ELECTION as  Governor of New York!  

Whatever laws/punishments/etc are out there for realtors have succeeded in dissuading this behavior.The "bribe" is that if it's a realtor I've never worked with before and I do my job well, leaving that client happy and thus more likely to send business to that realtor again, boom future business for us both. 

The penalty for non compliance can be as servere as losing the property backing your note, loss of 3 years principal and interest, or anything else a judge decides to punish with.  

MA law states "landlord who directly or indirectly interferes with the quiet enjoyment of any residential premises by the occupant... shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than three hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than six months.

Only gluttons for punishment would purposely pursue D and F properties when they have better options.

That constitutes brokering without a license and in many states, can be punishable by fines or even jail.There are legal ways to wholesale and illegal ways to wholesale, many new wholesalers do it illegally and as such, the “legal hurdle” I referenced.Wholesalers will also tell you that they provide a valuable service, however, the argument to that is in order for them to have enough spread for both their end buyer and their wholesale fee, they must convince a seller to sell well below market value.

If you're a glutton for punishment, you can take her to small claims after the fact and attempt to collect unpaid rent. 

Without the other party being licensed, this advice would be considered brokering without a license in many states and punishable by major fines and even jail.So long as the finder who is a tenant in the building is not negotiating a purchase contract and only getting you in contact with the owner so that YOU may negotiate on your own behalf a contract, there is nothing illegal (to my knowledge - I’m not an attorney so check with yours in the state in which this would take place) by you paying for information.

CODE §30-2-50, OBTAINING OR USING PUBLIC RECORDS FOR COMMERCIAL SOLICITATION DIRECTED TO ANY PERSON IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IS UNLAWFUL, AND IS PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF UP TO $500 AND IMPRISONMENT UP TO ONE YEAR, OR BOTH.The only paid lists we generate are through List Source.