I have properties with tenants in place so rent roll and P&L is obvious but what else will help benefit me the most?

After completing all of his modules and gaining all the knowledge he had to offer I quickly made the decision to get very serious about Real Estate Investing. 

What I’m depending on right now and that’s the way I️ felt with selling is a lot would go to capital gains.

I am extremely motivated to dip my toes in the water but I am having trouble deciding if I want to invest in multi-family properties to rent out for residual income or if I want to invest in REITS to gain some more capital.

I'm not trying to be a "downer" but... all these optimistic predictions from people who financially benefit from optimistic conditions in the market are a bit misleading. 

There are many benefits to have a real estate license in my opinion. 

But you have the added benefit of being local to your market.  

This is a fantastic place to gain tons of information fast.  

I am sure I could have locked in this deal if I had not told her to try to sell herself on craigslist and FSBO but I would have felt like I was taking advantage of her and not giving her better options that would benefit her.

I am sure you can research online the pros and cons of putting a commercial property under an LLC but the benefits are primarily both accounting and legal.