Our preference would be not to sign anything tethering us to a single agent, but have it be an open secret with realtors in the area that the house is available-Any insights appreciated!

The lender will need someone to sign on the loan with a balance sheet with 10% of the loan amount and a net work that is 100% of the loan amount.

Have him sign something that states that he agrees he holds no interest in the property and will leave toilet when he vacates.

& as I am sure many of you know, the closing process after the PSA is signed is fast with a lot of folks and tasks.What is your favorite tech to use to assist with Investor/Fund raising reach-out workflow/process automation?

I'll co-sign what @Michelle Bright had to say: dive into the podcasts!

And for obvious reasons most lender's don't allow you to select your own appraiser... 

Usually, the end buyer needs to see YOUR contract with the seller and then sign your assignment contract.

So what ever source told you, you do not need to have an earnest money deposit, I would, even if the seller is willing to accept and sign the contract without an earnest money deposit, I would still have an earnest money deposit for the reason I just mentioned.  

I was informed by an individual that bandit signs are illegal everywhere.

This is my first post after signing up about a year ago.