I am an investor in Charlotte, NC looking for an agent to help me grow my rental home portfolio.  

. :-) I'm guessing not a good idea, but has anyone else ever had this?

Has anyone ever heard of this???

If I ever file a claim it will be obvious who the tenants are. 

I’ve worked in varying capacities as a financial analyst, software engineering & product design instructor, & senior design engineer with growing startups to some of the biggest companies out there.

As Jason said - there are a few good REIA groups here in the area that would help you grow your network and learn about the local market - so when you are ready to pull the trigger you have a better idea of the market and maybe even some investment partners to help you get there quicker.   

My ultimate goal is to purchase and develop land in the ever receding outer exurbs in my region.Here is a little about my world of late: Home Automation and Security technology is developing at breakneck speeds these days and staying on the cutting edge is a full time job, especially when it comes to understanding the vulnerabilities associated with these new technologies (think "Hackers"...they really, really, really do wreak havoc..no joke).

Additionally, I'm a part of a fast growing power team that is seeking to partner with reputable contractors interested in joining our team.

The combo of being both the originator and the decision maker and the need to grow from for their investors certainly will be a hard thing to manage and even if it works out ok here I would be surprised if someone doesn't mismanage it somewhere.

No books can ever teach you what a little hands on experience will.