Typically one rolls over funds from an existing retirement plan into a self-directed IRA or 401(k).The IRA needs to be established with a specialty custodian that can document things beyond the stock market. 

There are many brokers out there that specialize in the different niches such as Retail, Office, Medical, Land, Industrial and Multifamily (which is our specialty).I'd say the most important factor in selecting a firm to join is who will be your mentor. 

That's a one-way train to losing money if you're not very careful.

I really hate that part of the process myself, and that's one of the reasons I haven't got my license (though I am still considering it.)Also, if a flipper's specialty is finding, analyzing and negotiating deals, maybe he can get a better ROI on his time only doing those things, instead of doing showings and paperwork and coordinating with the title company and lender and all that sort of thing that's involved on the agent's side.You could make the same argument for "why isn't every flipper his own GC?

what I like about your story is you being a military pilot  the training and skills required the discipline etc that can and does transfer to the real world.. 

This is likely a dumb question, but my mentor in Driving For Dollars Wholesale trained me to learn as I go when doing repair estimates for wholesale deals and use online calculators.My goal is to develop automated processes to prepare properties I get under contract and provide quality to my cash buyers by doing some of the work for them up front and developing a standardized report for each propery we’re marketing to them.My plan After getting a propery under contract:$300 - I’d have a contractor come through and write up a Scope of Work for repairs ($160) and a plumber scope the sewer and quote any repairs ($140).

I help and train new reps all the time and am happy to do it but the new reps aren’t in the same territory (Kansas City).

•Hire quality people, not necessarily the most trained.

Landlord/tenant is not my specialty (estate and transactional work is), so take the following with a grain of salt.  

Unfortunately, the real estate licensing training/test does not prepare one to be a realtor.