Not disputing your experience and I'm sure your agent is great.However, the Goosehead model is designed for the local agent to sell and the corporation to service.

In order to get there it would be good if you could keep feeding cashflow proceeds back into acquisitions, on top of your continued W2.Speaking from experience, you can manage probably 30-50 units yourself nights and weekends before you really need to hire someone.

In my experience, most have limited product offerings.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or advice on this approach.Thank you in advance for your insights! 

I wanted to create an STR experience and bring my bold ideas to life.

You’ve gained valuable experience from your first duplex and are now approaching real estate with a strategic mindset

Becoming a real estate agent is a good idea to gain experience, but you could also explore property management, wholesaling, or working with an investor to build your network. 

Sounds like for now the idea of eventually selling the branded account is a no-go, but there still remains pros/cons on each option and I'd love to hear what others have considered or their experience in adding more STRs/boutique hotel type properties to their portfolios.

Happy to share some out of state investing experiences.

Sharing your experience can help others facing similar challenges.