They stated that commissions and fees, as long as they are in line with state and local laws and are reasonable, wouldn't be treated as interested party contributions.

Their wholesale fees are high because people pay. 

Also, any sort of inspections, appraisals, and paperwork fees are not going to be refunded to you.My advice is to read thoroughly through your contract and take notes of the contingencies and see if there are any specifics in which you can leverage yourself out of the contract, legally of course.

Flat fee brokerage so less bells and whistles but great folks and easy to work with. 

It has been lucrative over the warmer months (April - September) and has allowed me to make upgrades to my building, however, I don't believe STR's in Anchorage will make sense once the city passes its new regulations.https://mustreadalaska.com/public-hearing-new-short-term-rental-licensing-fees-and-fines-proposed-for-anchorage/?

My question is can I secure a deposit/holding fee from them 2 months out to hold the property for them. 

And the fee should be reasonable.

@Ashish D.I also bet everyone of those sites will also charge you a hefty fee to learn how to do tax liens and deeds.Of course it’s easy and everyone should do it and make six figures.

There are low down payment options for purchase & rehab financing if you are doing a BRRRR, but for a turnkey rental, down payments generally require at least 20-25%.Happy to discuss further.

She is not the type to pay rent and has always paid late and late fees.