Make sure you have enough saved up not only for the down payment but also closing cost, plus some reserve in bank accounts or in other investment accounts!

Work currently in the accounting field and I’m a licensed CPA in the state of Ohio and West Virginia. 

Mostly on trade accounts with local businesses for the materials, some business credit cards, some of the contractors were OK with waiting 30 days for payment. 

When you transfer retirement funds into a self directed account you can certainly buy real estate with it. 

If there is no agreement signed and this person is just someone listed from the broker's database, I do not believe it is acceptable for the broker to collect a split in addition to the house split.If you are to consider negotiating this additional split, there is a lot to take into account here... what is the % of business that you generate on your own vs. how much your broker contributes?

In the meantime watch the BP podcasts and use the BP calculator to start analyzing deals so you get comfortable with the numbers.By this time next year I would say if you do this you'll have 10k in a bank account with an ok credit which should make you eligible for an FHA loan to buy (1-4 Units) with 3.5% down and get you started. 

Just make sure to account for any additional operating expenses when projecting your cash flow.

If you’re able to save another $20K within 6-12 months, waiting could open up more opportunities and give you more flexibility in your investment choices.If I were young, had $23K, and believed I could rebuild that savings account, I’d seriously consider making the jump.

Flipping is probably a little more intense, but can still be done with a day job, but again, my average flip versus my average rental: flip has made much better returns.And as for generational wealth and handing down something to your kids... well, I guess I view it as: if I can hand my kids a $10mm trust fund held in public securities, or $10mm real estate portfolio, they are going to be pretty set either way, but a real estate portfolio will continually have costs and work, a brokerage account is a bit more set and forget, with some periodic rebalancing.

I personally use Stessa (included free with your pro/business account) and Monarch.