I am currently looking for a mentor who can help me fill in the gaps of what it takes to be a smart investor so if you have even a little bit of experience under your belt, it would be great to learn a thing or two about your experience!

My goals for next year are to 1) get a few deals under my belt to build credibility and experience and 2) get plugged into my local RE community in Atlanta.

As a new real estate investor without any deals under my belt.

That’s a great way to start, I will definitely add that to my tool belt. 

First, get in contact with a mortgage broker, I'm sure they will tell you that you need at least 2 yrs under your belt first.

@Michelle EdwardsI agree with @George Blower thankfully the lists of self directed IRA holders is confidential, otherwise the account holders would be exploited.

If you can put low money down through and FHA loan, you'll have one deal under your belt with more money to purchase the next home.

Hey BPI am a newer investor with one rental property under my belt.

I am in my last year at University as well and could not imagine being thrown into managing 5 props with no experience under my belt

Generally, what I have been told is that if you don't have a good amount of properties under your belt yet, it's not worth getting an LLC to put your properties under.