This is very common in the banking industry.   

Is this common for waterfront land pricing?

Most hard money lenders seem to have common practices and will generally require a down payment, however private money lenders can make their own rules.

The sob stories are a very common theme in the biz.

If a common rate in my area is 2.4% for buyers agents I may even offer 2.5-3% just to stand out a little more.

There should be a big gap between the two commonly called profit.

@Inahya Browne If it's common in your market to use them, then you could ask the buyer to sign one with you.  

It's very common for real estate agents to contact sellers after a listing expires or is canceled.

,It’s not common but you could get there if the owner is willing to carry a contract.

As an agent in a competitive market, VA offers are already problematic due to the inaccurate but commonly held perceptions that:1) The borrower doesn't have enough money for conventional and thus is at risk of being unable to close in case of a low appraisal or income issues during underwriting.2) The VA appraisal, often called a VA inspection, will uncover arbitrary but costly problems that need to be fixed before closing.This can be compounded if buyers are trying to use some of these non-local, call-center based lenders who are unable to accommodate quick settlements.