@Robert Ellis Using a Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA) for real estate investing can be a powerful wealth-building tool—but you're right, it comes with strict rules and a learning curve.

Now that the laws were introduced, it essentially removed 99% of the investors who were texting.

They are only tools to flatten your road and straighten out the curves. 

For free tools for managing you can look into TurboTenant, Apartments.com or Zillow property management. 

Being a landlord isn't my full time job and I'm guessing it won't be yours as this is your first, so choose a tool that can help you manage rents, keep track of expenses, prepare documents for taxes, etc.

@Blair Ross Jr Bigger pockets podcast is a great tool, so many tips and tricks being shared.

Having that property was key because it gave me independence, paid all my essential bills, and I had money to invest with which made me happy and allowed me to put extra money away and I looked at property management and investing in stocks as my occupation.

(in the year 2025, unbelievable...)I am googling for AI parsing tools, to process each PDF manually.Do other screening tools have a reasonable comparison interface?

Are there times within a real estate transaction where one might benefit from using non-collateralized personal loans for working capital or is it more of a hindrance than a beneficial tool?

Right now, tools like ChatGPT are incredibly useful for high-level insights into the real estate market: trends in a city, popular neighborhoods, or general investment strategies.