With the recent changes from the National Association of Realtors there is a lot of consumer confusion out there. 

Understand all your options resulting from the recently National Associate of Realtors Settlement Agreement by talking with a local Realtor who is familiar with the changes.

It isn't practical to find "affordable" GCs, at least we've not been able to in our rust belt market, where home prices are way below national average.

Large national lenders are not likely to do this. 

The new changes from the National Association of Realtors focus on transparency and consumer choice.

There will also be accounting/bookkeeping that will need to be done for the LLC, you may have to pay for that also, as well as a corporate kit.Or You could wing it and try and do it yourself, if you think you know enough to make a good decision without expert help.Good Luck!

Currently, I'm looking into the company REI Nation.

I am a Army Veteran with a 1 year deployment and currently still serving in the Army National Guard (8 years of service) and as a full time real estate agent.

Are there particular lenders in Birmingham or national lenders that are friendly to this type of situation?

Lenders who work with investors who are foreign nationals usually require a significantly higher down payment. 40 - 50%, unless you can find a partner who is US based.