Even if nightly rates didn't continue to rise over time, breaking even now would still be a free house in 30 years that I could sell and use for a retirement nest egg along with my 401k.

An investor friendly agent can do all sorts of helpful things, like setting you up with a search for properties or connecting you with folks who have recently done deals like the ones you want to do. 6) Consider analyzing a deal or two in your local market, just for practice, with a free use of our Rental Property Calculator (or other calculators).

@Michael L Dyer there is so much content from the podcasts and forums for FREE.

You just need to have a current housing expense meaning you cannot be living rent free.

Feel free to reach out if I can be of any assistance.

I haven't found a homeowner yet that is surprised to hear that I stand to make money on the sale -- if they have sense at all, they understand that we don't operate for free, you know?

The broker does this for free because they get to supply the resulting force-placed policy.  

Is that taking on too much risk?

You can run it like your own brokerage in many ways without all the risks and headaches.   

I've listened to the podcasts and I've had a free account for awhile.