I am in the process of getting my real estate salesperson's license and have found a broker that will sponsor me.

As investors (and particularly for passive investors) it is important to have a solid tool set to vet sponsors and other companies you consider working or investing with.  

It might be worth having a sponsor take the lead and guide you on your first deal.

I am both co-sponsor and investor in several multifamily syndications.

We, as the sponsors, get a 2% management fee along the way and the other 50% of the profits.I also have some rentals and am paying a private lender 6% interest only for 4 years.

And only 1 email from all the sponsors that I invest with. 

Those are GSE's or "Government Sponsored Enterprises". 

Unfortunately, “due primarily to the financial difficulties of some correspondent lenders, we typically recover on average approximately 50 percent from these lenders,” Wells added in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.So far, most of the money the banks have paid has gone to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which used to be government-sponsored enterprises and now, after the bailouts, are government-controlled.

It's all about your relationships, experience, track record or that of your partners and sponsors and the property itself.Raising big capital, like $20, $50 and $100 million raises is an art and a business.

@Phillip HendersonIt does not sound as if a self-directed Solo 401(k) would fit your situation at the current time.The Solo 401(k) is an employer sponsored retirement plan.