My ultimate goal is to be involved with REI, but I am not sure where the best place would be to raise capital and learn.

If they do not have any then there is your answer  Just because a company can find you a good deal does not mean that they can get you the monthly return year after year on that property Always remember you own four walls and a roof ,they owned the business system it’s operating inside of that to give you the actual return that it was promised and that’s easier said than done if they don’t have correct policies procedures in structure Always make sure that your business model aligns with theirs to make sure that they are going to help you reach your ultimate goals well if they cannot have that conversation with you then maybe they were the wrong team to leverage your properties with

They save money vs a 1 bedroom apartment and get an inbuilt group of “friends”.

It’s saved a lot of time wasted showing people who needed something different

For me, the ability to add value is more important because the ultimate result is more reliable.  

The time it saves on emailing alone is well worth the cost.

You probably saved some people from getting taken.

There is no savings by dealing with the seller's agent.That's the long answer.The short answer is YES, you should use a buyer's agent. 

That is most of the savings that I have, which makes me tentative, but I am happy with the cash-flow.

Well needless less to say I floundered and ultimately ended up going inactive with my license.