The town largely looks the other way since it is such a large source of revenue.The beach towns are considered part of Jacksonville, but have their local government and a degree of autonomy.  

Sure, you can't devote your full time to it, but if you're working on one house at a time, you either contract the rehab work out or go over and work yourself when you're not at your full-time job.I prefer the safety, stability, and steady stream of income from maintaining my full-time job as opposed to the more immediate increase in freedom and autonomy from pursuing real estate full-time; at least, until I feel that I'm making enough from my investments that I can comfortably make the transition.

Plus, I propose that most prospective homebuyers who come to Atlanta want privacy, space, and some level of autonomy.

They need capital to grow, but one of the primary reasons to take the risk of starting your own thing is to optimize for autonomy. 

Finding your own deals and funding then individually gives you more autonomy and control if the loan doesn't perform but there can be lags in between each deal, which would reduce your overall return.

While their price has gone up since the first time I used them, it still starts under $500 for 1-1 exchange.I typically give my buyers complete autonomy in choosing the title/escrow company.

Can I do that with relative autonomy through your brokerage?"

But she completely trusts me now to be financially responsible and have our family's best interest in mind – even if she thinks the properties I buy look like sh*t.My wife allows me to control our finances and invest in real estate with full autonomy.

Purchasing an investment property for her makes much better financial sense for a number of reasons (see below), and has the added benefit of giving her some control and autonomy in her living situation.

Utilizing a self directed IRA to purchase investment property is not very compelling to me due to the lack of autonomy that would exist as a result of utilizing this method.