No one should be taking internet forum advice instead of seeking specific legal and financial advice.Starting out you really must get professional advice when you don't have the knowledge.

Should I seek out a local brokerage as opposed to looking in the city of Atlanta?

I am excited to start this venture and seek any advice for the real estate beginner that anyone may have to offer.

I can seek out my own professional development and prefer to pay less.

The reason for the builder and RE broker seeking investors and not the bank is because: 1) they want to be flexible and continue building other homes as well; 2) they want to be able to pay their subs faster than the bank allows in order to keep the subs around and the project moving without delay; 3) they want to build a team of interested investors in which they can work with for future projects.

The deals you will likely seek to structure as an investor may not even be something the run of the mill agent can understand.Understand to that the agent gets paid based on commission, they lack incentive to negotiate aggressively on your behalf.

I can answer your question(s) based on my research—you should however seek additional help from a professional and tap into other resources here on BP (e.g. threads, articles, blog posts, podcasts, etc.).Answers:Traditional banks likely won’t lend to an LLC without a personal guarantee and if they do, it would unlikely be a conventional product or eligible for delivery to Fannie Mae (read find a portfolio lender).Selling your property for $1 to your LLC might trigger a due on sale clause in your mortgage agreement.

And yes, how you want to invest is important to know, not only for yourself but for those that you're seeking help from.

I am currently seeking F&F properties here in AZ and it is a bit tough. 

I only have about 10k in savings and was wondering if I should wait 3-4 months to purchase a 40k SFR cash or should I try to seek out private/hard money?