I am a relative newbie, and this interaction seemed unusual to me so I wanted to be cautious and get feedback first.

I communicate a lot via e-mail and take a just the facts stance, but I do encourage the questions.

Some will be OK with it and some will encourage you to look elsewhere based on their commission setup.  

utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books (books recommended by BPers)Before making your 1st REI purchase please visit the link below for some useful tipshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/12/19/real-estate-investing-success-smart-tips/Simply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=booksSimply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

There are tons of people here to give you both encouragement and advice. 

utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books (books recommended by BPers)Before making your 1st REI purchase please visit the link below for some useful tipshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/12/19/real-estate-investing-success-smart-tips/Simply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Continue to feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

I encourage all to do their due diligence on free or paid training products and hopefully you can connect with a mentor/coach who has character integrity and experience as a mentor to help you navigate the waters. 

Even if you aren't going to issue a 1099, I STRONGLY encourage you to get TINs (EINs) for your vendors and document the corporate status of any corporations that you pay.

I have noticed lately that some of those companies step pretty far out of bounds with their interactions with borrowers and the public.