I hope to use this site as a tool to grow as a person and an investor.

It's a great tool as a bridge loan if used correctly.

Hell, it's worth it for the MLS access alone.I personally think having a license is a valuable tool for your investing, as you said just for the MLS access alone.To the question about the unlicensed activity I don't really think that having a license helps with any of that unless someone says "Hey you need a license to do that" and you say "But I do" and they drop it.If the dig and you use the "I have a license" as a defense I think you are in MUCH worse shape!  

I decided to join BiggerPockets because I saw it as a valuable tool to help take my real estate investing career to the next level.

In Germany and other European countries, board games are very popular among adults - without being considered nerdy.  

Getting a good tenant reminds me of a term we use for buying high quality tools: "pay for quality and you only cry once; buy cheap and you'll cry a lot."  

Other popular recomendatikns include finding a partner or finding an investor who you can work for while saving up funds for your own deals.Wise investing, and welcome to the forum!

My concern is they may not rent as quickly and are they less popular. 

Just another tool for your tookboxes. 

You or your spouse may even choose to become a real estate agent yourself to gain access to the incredible tools that agents have.