Real Estate License for Investing

[Nicholas Norris]

Good Morning Atlanta!

I had a few questions for some seasoned investors. This morning I came across a deal that would become my first purchase. The lady across the street from me is planning to sell her home come Fall, I told her to contact me before she puts it on the market and she agreed.

Now I ran the numbers, checked rents in the area, and calculated my ROI. It all checks out. However, I don't have an agent!! I can't represent myself because I don't have a license and I don't really want to increase the closing costs by introducing an agent to the mix. Now, my question is:

Would it be worthwhile to get my real estate license and represent myself? I figure I can study and get my license in the next month or two, just in time for the purchase. I also figured it would cut down on closing costs, and I could use my commission to put towards my down payment. I also thought access to the MLS and being able to show myself properties would be a good asset!

Any thoughts? I tried searching for this in the forum but could not find any relevant posts.