You're already at a disadvantage by having no money (investing in anything takes money), and with neither of you having any experience that's just a recipe for disaster. 

But imagine that no one could really be at any real disadvantage.

Buy when banks don't loan money.Because of the tax disadvantages of self-direct IRAs (not Roth) such as RMD rules at 70.5 and lack of write-offs at distribution time, be careful using too much self-directed IRAs to buy real estate. 

It also has its disadvantages - I can't shake my client's hand.It also depends on what exactly you're looking for in a CPA.

The disadvantage of constantly hustling... to find deals...... 

Then VRBO changed how they rank properties in a way that disadvantaged seasonal rentals.

The main disadvantage of a revocable living trust is that it provides no asset protection as the assets are available to the creditors of the grantor.

The only disadvantage is needing someone on the ground to set up the lock WiFi connection if your investing OOS. 

Those are few and far between.When you need a partner, you're at a disadvantage.

@Robert Leonard You can eliminate item #3 from your list because the IRA or 401k is already a tax advantaged account and thus, you lose the tax depreciation benefits, one of many reasons why holding RE in this type of account is a disadvantage.