Get your facts straight. 

When you have trouble keeping 'em straight, you can worry about this.

My biggest advice is to start investing where you have a good network of people you know like and trust...this especially holds true if you will be investing out of state.While it's not impossible to go straight to the commerical I personally found it easier to start in the residential world and then make my way over to commerical multi-family. 

If so, you will need to rollover those funds into respective money sources of pre-tax and Roth. 2) Analyzing whether to use IRA or Solo 401(k), is fairly straight forward, when the intent is for you to have your own business and want to use the funds for real estate investing.

A straight LLC will be far easier to get a loan or open a bank account, but doesn't provide the other benefits of a Land Trust.  

I'm sure if one can walk that "straight and narrow" path to doing it right, then its worth it. 

I'm more of a straight to the point investor and just want to know what the endgame is in the deal so I have more clarity.

Can I go straight through the secretary of state?

I have finally got them in my hands ( straight from the state of Maines website) and now realize I have no idea really what I am looking at!

This way your entire $18,000 investment is going straight into a deal instead of a "finders fee"