Also, most city will require a licenced GC on a new construction project, especially since you do not plan on owner occupying it. 

In my head I'm thinking, "Well why not just get a real estate licence myself so I can have access to the numbers whenever I want without having to go through anyone?".

He has a general contractor licence and will be doing the building project himself.

welcome to the community I am a rookie investor as well i have been to youtube University and there is tons of cool investment strategies to use out there but if your going the licence route you may want to try howard hanna realestate services and also start attending the fria groups real estate investers association i have been going for a few weeks and i have learened so much about the local market and it provides very good networking opportunities with other rookie investers and veterans in our local markets again welcome to the community  

I passed my licence months ago and am still not with a brokerage.

Licence does not mean anything In Baltimore if you dont know the city.

Find a local real estate group to meet with where you can talk about and learn more about real estate, you don't need a real estate licence to buy rentals or learn about them. 

Since you have invested the time and money in a real estate licence, your best way to get started is to interview with a real estate team for a year or two, you will get a better education, learn what you can and cannot do with off market properties BECAUSE you have a licence.

By licence you mean?

But I can tell you as a realtor, we constantly get it drummed into us, that if we engage in anything that looks anything like the above, we are to run the other way, and not participate in the transaction, or we could lose our licence, be fined, or go to jail.