Then if listing agreement with agent is 'non-exclusive right to sell', you can put property under contract and assign it to your cash buyer.This is how I might be doing in MI (according to the situation).

If you have lived in the house for 2 out of the previous 5 years you can take the first $250k (500K if married) in gain tax free using the sec 121 primary residence exclusion. 

I prefer electronic followup, but you need to use the method that they prefer - if they exclusively text I text to checkin, if they're good over email I email.

Move away from the guys with the big fancy full page newspaper ads and Angie's List and try to find a painter who simply needs work and I'll bet you can get that paint bid much lower. 

We pretty much do s-f exclusively now by choice.After you've owned rentals for 2 years, I think the banks will allow the income from them to count more. 

We are thinking of selling our house (an accidental flip) within the next couple of months (taking advantage of the 121 Exclusion) using the equity to pay off our debt, and the remaining to purchase an investment property (fix and flip) as well as a buy and hold for us to live in, and taking advantage of the 1031 exchange when we are ready to sell and purchase up.

@Steve Vaughan is right on the money to tell you that you have an additional three years after you convert it to a rental to still take advantage of primary residence exclusion (2 as primary + 3 as rental = 5 total).

I am currently an agent that exclusively does apartment rentals.

They're used in multiple offer situations exclusively, so there's never a situation that occurs like you're presenting.I've bought houses for $10s of thousands less than I was willing to pay by using these effectively.  

A broker wanted us to sign an exclusive with him.