I have a couple years of experience in managing 40ish short term rentals remotely & on-site, so I believe I could use a management incentive to lower my buy in.Thank you!

@Roger D Jones curious, do you charge for any of those options/services?

While no one can predict the future with certainty, if rates are expected to rise significantly in the coming months, it might be wise to lock in the rate now to secure a lower rate. 

Our tenants have been in the house the past 3 years; they're good tenants and people, and we want to do right by them while also meeting our own needs at this time.My first option is to approach the tenants and see if any of them want to purchase the property; that would probably be the smoothest exit for us.  

I agree with others that state you should just try and negotiate perhaps a little lower price.

What factors would make such an option more attractive?

What are some options regarding structuring this deal and the steps I need to follow?

We are looking into buying with creative options such as using a wholesaler, putting more money down, and house hacking.

You will likely be able to refi again later lowering the rate and improving cash-flow.

Ask if the seller wants to be the bank, explain the savings in cap gains, and then see if you can structure a lower down payment to go direct and then you can pay the price they want if you adjust the principal and interest in your favor.