You put the broker in the awkward position of cutting their own throat, so to speak.

Leaving the utility bill in my name on a SFH and forgetting to cut it off for 2 months :(  

welcome to BP...make urself at home.Be sure to get some podcasts under ur belt, they are really awesome and great fuel for ur endeavours in REI.All the best and c I around :)

But you also may run across a portfolio that an investor is willing to share and you can cut down on some of the closing costs by making it one transaction.

Don't be lazy taking short cuts thinking you can wheel and deal like some used car dealer, RE is not a used vehicle, it is not just a widget.

A conventional realtor is just an expense that cuts into the profit so there's really no need to deal with them on most deals.

I feel like offering him a cut of the pie can keep me at the front of the line when it comes to getting my job done first over somebody else's in the hopper. 

High rental and investor demand continues to fuel the market.

I asked why he was selling and he said he does all the property management himself and wanted to cut down of his rentals and live off the sale and cashflow from the remaining.I drove home excited because I felt this was it and I was going to make him an offer that night.

I think your already being extremely generous allowing rent to be paid on the 10th.  5th of the month is my cut off point and I assess a mandatory $50 fee for paying late.