Would the trust protect my personal assets just the same?

Personally, I don't like anything that pay money that is no connected to an agent doing deals but I can see the appeal.

I personally rent out my own units.

Since you don't have an interest in calls/trainings, I'd look for companies with favorable splits.Berkshire Hathaway and Winzone are a couple of companies that come to mind.Also, my brokerage operates in every state and does not collect commissions on your personal deals. 

.)* An offer to send them my vendor list (this one gets HUGE response)* An offer to join Homebot for their homes here or up north* A question of who keeps them up to date on the sales in their neighborhood and an offer to be that person.

House hacking will also give you some personal "property management" experience.

Even though the ONLY way that a tax sale can be reversed is if the entity or person that lost the property can prove that the tax collector missed the statutory public notification laws.. ( ask me how i know this one LOL ).. 

is there a person I can have set up calculations for me?   

Otherwise, this doesn't seem like a big redflag except I would make sure you clarify that rent is still due from both parties and that if one person isn't paying their portion of the rent then all persons on the lease are responsible for any uncollected payments. 

I personally find that the online groups get me access to more people.