I've got some skin in the game too, just not enough of my own to kick this real estate journey into another gear.

On the surface - this sounds like a conflict - which is what I was trying to avoid in working with a "Buyer's Agent".  

Account Closed - You would have a difficult time even if it costs $25k and you put $25k into the deal with an ARV of $120k to find a lender, as you have no skin in the game.

$500 is a lot for a touch-up if it was a painted surface.  

Bernie and others are "cashing in" on that by appearing to be anti-greed and anti-billionaire.You'll hear about it again next time that subject bubbles up to the surface.

Here is a little something that is really starting to get under my skin...

Instead get  a longer listing commitment and then if the seller wants expensive advertising you might offer in allowed in your state ( and with your brokerages approval) to rebate their advertising expenses at closing they pay for with legitimate receipts off the commission.This way if a seller pulls off the market,goes with another brokerage mid listing, or tries to cancel early etc. the seller will be out the money and have skin in the game.

This place was owned by a little old Italian lady, who wallpapered every surface, with multiple layers of wallpaper. 

If I "cleaned it up" (the way any investor would clean up any home to be remodeled, i.e. this home is OLD, plaster and lathe... would replace with sheet rock, EVERY surface in the home would be new) and later conducted a meth test ONLY to satisfy my curiosity... and said test results were negative, where is the meth house?

If i'm heading down the wrong path I'm hoping to correct my direction at the beginning rather than finding out a year or more down the road when I have more skin in the game.