I paid for the year upfront for cheaper rates, and check it weekly.

It currently just breaks even with today’s interest rates and reported expenses and therefore wouldn’t meet my requirements of being a cash flowing asset.

You raise money at a fixed interest rate, when the investor's get their return any profits on top are yours, and then when the investor get's their initial investment back it's all yours. 

When my broker shopped the policy we found a slightly lower rate for same coverage.

Option 1: interest rate between 10-15% with a max of 18%.

Here's a quick snapshot from the COVID outbreak of early 2020 to February 2024:Key TrendsCondo prices: 📈 65% since March 2020Single-family homes: 📈 75% since March 2020Rapid appreciation mostly in 2020, stable/slight gains sinceMarket resilience despite rising rates and insurance costsAI stock market-fueled wealth could drive more home purchasesMy Prediction:Prime single-family homes: Prices remain stable or increaseCondos: Flat unless truly distinctiveThe Big Question: Are YOU ready to buy or sell?

I could house hack it though to help supplement some of those costs, maybe get into a home that needs some fixing up and then when rates come down and I get that forced appreciation I could refi and pull out some money if I’ve gained some equity?

And the rates are coming down, wait for a better sale price when is completed.

They can help you to have realistic expectations on rent rates in the area, especially if you're planning on have a PM manage the property.

Quote from @James Wise: 90% of Realtors are just Future Uber Drivers.... 100% wrong.The failure rate is 87%.