I still have a hard time understanding how this business model works for them, but perhaps that upfront fee covers for lack of deal flow (?) 

Working in a busy property management company, I'm often asked for advice on camera and alarm systems, and in rougher neighborhoods sometimes it can be a toss-up on whether to keep a property boarded-up between showings. 

In return for excellent service I'll be offering repeat business and I'll happily provide referrals to my existing investor network for those top performers. 

We have worked hard to build up our systems to manage our business.

We are a small partnership with 4-5 properties currently, but we are growing and hoping to find a reliable lending partner that we can do repeat business with.About 3 months ago, we successfully completed a BRRRR deal where we had excellent numbers, over a 1.25 ratio at 75% LTV, our guarantor partner has an 800+ credit score, and we had no issues qualifying for the loan.

I'm going off the understanding that you still need to spend 500+ hours in the business to achieve material participation (please correct me if I'm wrong). 

Get your insurance in business name, utilities can be put in business name.

I would contact an attorney to navigate the path forward. 

You can check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), your state’s department of business oversight, or your local real estate community.5.

Quickly I learned I knew nothing about the business of trucking and truly didn't enjoy it, as all those gains got depleted.