Question is, what if i want to purchase a property for my own portfolio while acting as an agent (i.e. i would be principal AND agent representing myself).  

If they only brought me their listings, they would be representing me as a dual agent?  

As an attorney, I represented developers, REITs, multi-national corporations, and local governments in all aspects of real estate including asset acquisition, development, leasing, and disposition.

All that to say, I think that this deal could potentially represent a pretty interesting investment for us but given the high price of homes currently, I'm still somewhat torn.

Speak to your banking representative and they can give you some additional options.

Every single LO I've seen across my desk when I represent the tenant/purchasers have violated the law so I get to tell my client that this is a virtually risk-free transaction for them. 

If your broker only represents one carrier (captive agent) or only has a couple of markets you should also consider getting quotes from other Independent agents who represent different markets.The following is part of a post I made to a new owner in the past. 

The auction process is so far removed from the seller that it seems nobody at the auction company has the authority to discuss a price reduction that reflects the depressed value that these issues represent to the house price. 

. :)I used to list, negotiate and represent buyers of short sales back in the hey day of the market crash. 

Lots of turnkey companies are represented here on BP.