When I've seen it make sense is when the HML had an arrangement where they gave you back some of the upfront points you paid if you pay them off by X date. 

I had my own business, done bookkeeping gigs for small firms and you have to arrange workman's comp, unemployment insurance besides handling tax deductions.

No experience managing investor moneywhat will happen is if you can get a seller or broker to even work with you .. your not coming in from a position of strength.. to mitigate all of the above you need to have your capital and financing arranged so when you do make an offer you have real POF  Not hey I am going to go try to raise the dough. .and you have financing available ( which could be tough for you being a first time sponsor with no experience)I suggest you talk to some lenders now before you waste thousands of hours looking at deals.what you will find out though is there are all sorts of Ghetto dogs in the mid west that will take a flyer with you .. the nicer performing properties the brokers and owners are going to want to deal with a proven source who has all of the above.

Two offers but my agent arranged all that, with explicit communication on the financing side making it clear I was pre-approved on either one but not both.

I suppose the arrangement can also create some issues with financing.

I can't remember what the reasoning for why all of a sudden they wouldn't be happy with the arrangement.

I have read my first few books which has wet my appetite, and arranged 2 beginner seminars in the next couple of weeks. 

I would rather make an arrangement with the debtor.

I hired someone, who was able to handle all the communications with the IRS agent, who kept me in the loop on a regular basis, and was able to package up my crazy complicated tax documents into a professional looking arrangement that "blew the socks off" the IRS agent.

As to preferential treatment, they may have special arrangements with the owners.