For example, I just did this with one of my tenants to cut their lease short midway through and paid them one month’s rent ($1850) to help cover moving costs and the premium on a new lease.

The only way the sale wouldn't go down would be if there some obvious contamination which there isn't, or a bad cleanup job which could be fixed; the offer's pretty cut and dry in that regard, and I know others who have gone through the process with no issues (none of them sold a residence, they were just holding raw land). 

Only the cosmetic stuff seems like it would be directly tied to rent.

Tie these rentals to hog hunting, hog trapping or alligator fishing trips.  7.  

I live in the Bellingham WA area but also have ties back to Sioux City IA.

@Tyler Stone, that's a tough one.You're basically asking a broker to take on additional liability (since anything you do in real estate could conceivably be tied to them), but offering to give them nothing in return since you're stating up front you won't be doing any listings.Your best bet is going to be networking and trying to find small/independent brokers.Anyone with a brand name, e.g., RE/Max or Keller Williams, is going to have pressure from their own management to "perform" and weed out agents who don't sell/produce enough, which means they won't even consider you if you're saying you have no intention of doing any transactions under their umbrella.I know people who have done what you describe, but they either already had a close friend who was a broker who was willing to take them on, or in one case they bit the bullet and just became a broker themselves (which is fine but is additional time and expense).

If the tenant does not cut the grass he'll do it and charge the tenant.

Is your main reason for self-managing, cutting expenses, or do you think you can do it better than your property manager?

You are now in power since you arenot tied to one location or even one town.

You can be licensees in as little as 3 weeks, and if teaming up with a good team, can be making 6- figures in your first year, and usually double your income each year after.It’s even much more lucrative than what real estate agents make.Lastly, it’s much valuable knowledge to a real estate investor to understand the numbers, Loan guidelines, income docs.Don’t get me wrong, real estate agents have a hard job, and I would never cut it as one.