I have $30 k in savings, no auto or student loans and excellent credit.

Hi Art, when buying real estate in a Self Directed IRA it's typically recommended the property is paid in cash and holds no debt.

Unfortunately most investors believe their excel spreadsheet will provide all the answers but I recommend combining your pro-forma with a greater emphasis on physical interaction with the properties and more importantly neighborhoods where you decide to invest.

Hes a biggerpockets member and excellent agent.

The main line is an excellent market for rentals but it can be very pricey as many of the spots are Class A RE. 

But, excel is totally fine in the beginning (in addition to your PM software to capture transactions outside of the properties).We use QuickBooks Online exclusively for all of our REI Clients.

Websites like BiggerPockets are excellent for getting leads from experienced investors who’ve vetted their GCs.

Depending on the strategy you end up going with will probably dictate what property manager makes the most sense as they all have their different niches they excel at.

If you have some availability to discuss your goals further, I'd be happy to go over some excellent investment opportunities in Georgia that might align with your objectives.

Thank youTo add on to the other already excellent replies:- The syndicator typically either bakes their management and operations into the investment, thus making additional funds for themselves, or uses their own subsidiary or someone they have a partner deal with.