Because of the prohibited transaction rules, doing so could be a violation of the rules, or at the very least, would limit your flexibility with the investment and increase the chances of a prohibited transaction occurring after the investment is made.Here are some alternatives to commingling the assets: using the Solo participant loan feature to do the deal outside of retirement funds using non-recourse financing from a lender or private source in combination with retirement funds as the down paymentusing a 401k or IRA and partnering with non-disqualified persons

I also find that I typically help at least one friend/family member with a transaction each year (which will cover the maintenance costs of my license indefinitely, moving forward).- Yes, there is increased liability; however, if you take earning your license seriously, it doesn't take much to understand what must be disclosed, how to disclose it, etc.

@Scott NeudeckerThis depends on what features your looking for.

7 - What are the typical expenses?

Cash Flow is also typically lower. 

It’s different with every agent/city, but in LA it’s typically 6 months.

If you are not a member of the NC Assoc of Realtors, then no, you don't have to list the house on MLS; you can market the house however you want, like through typical wholesaling offmarket activities like BP.

Here are some alternatives to commingling your assets: using the Solo participant loan feature to do the deal outside of retirement funds using non-recourse financing from a lender or private source in combination with retirement funds as the down paymentusing your 401k or IRA and partnering with non-disqualified persons 

How do they typically charge and when do they bill the client for things that need to get fixed on the property?

Although I am a Realtor and have access to the MLS and can see old listings, I have seen that Redfin has been pretty reliable as a #2 option.All in all, you want to compare properties with as many similar features as possible and be aware of the obvious outliers, with the main culprit being size difference (You really don't want to compare a 3000 sq. ft. house with 3 bedrooms to a 900 sq. ft. house with 3 bedrooms).