Having a real estate license, I would credit the commission payed out I would receive for being my own agent towards closing costs for the new property.

Brokers look out for their clients, insurance agents look out for their job.

I've talked to two local agents about possible price points to list at, but it almost seems like they are pulling numbers out of a hat.

With enough knowledge you can make a educated decision on which approach you take.My experience:I personally don't sign up for any program who take you aside during events and try to sell packages that is just blatant sales strategy.Once you sign up there is every attempt to make you sign for their programs for bookkeeping, registered agent, LLC or corp setup fee which have ridiculous even with platinum membership.Basic standard structure they suggest to take advantage of multiple deductions can be easily achieved by proper education or work with a good firm like https://wcginc.com  who is local to you.A umbrella C-crop to manage all other LLC properties and take advantage of many tax deductions that are not available with a llc, its also used to take losses up to 100K as startup expenses and dissolve the entity after few years.Few LLC entities for investing in Real Estate, etc preferably in Wyoming or Nevada ( you can find many companies online who can do this for $150 compared to anderson $1500-$3000) , they will claim they have a secret Operating agreement which is bogus.They certainly try to take advantage of tax loopholes and claim to be smart people, my view they are just taking advantage of numbers as per their own statements.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Do you guys have any advice on how can I get started in my real estate journey as an agent and potentially an investor??

From Brooklyn to Florida and Mississippi, your expertise as an investor, agent, and designer is impressive.We’re excited to have you here and look forward to learning from your experiences as you work to change lives through real estate.

I felt I had a good head start since I was already a real estate agent and was very comfortable with finding comps and figuring out the ARV.

Best advice is to have a lender and an agent working together to help you achieve your goals. 

I’m interested in looking for a real estate agent with experience in rental properties.