Getting the license makes a lot of sense now.I will tell you that there has been a number of occasions where disclosures were not given to me, especially the Agency Disclosures.In fact, one Broker was representing both the Seller and myself just recently and I never received the Dual Agency Disclosure.Another problem I see is in the case of a building that I bought over 6 years ago which is past the Statue of Limitation for Real Estate lawsuits, the legal use of the property was mis-represented by ALL parties, including the Agent, the Broker, the Appraiser and the Attorneys.

After the account is set up and funded account owner can use it to invest into virtually anything, including private lending, rentals, etc. 

Also, it seems to me that the commentators to my thread are thinking I'm throwing out low offers to see what sticks.This isn't the case at all.I'm an Investor that buys for FUTURE appreciation of both Cash Flow and Appreciation. 6 of the 8 Investment Properties I bought were from retail advertising from Brokers on the MLS.I am already wealthy and believe in setting up a win-win scenario for everyone, including the Seller, the Broker, and myself.I don't believe getting a 5% discount now on a price is worth it in my scenario.For instance, I bought a property 2000 for $140k purchase price.

I make a list of every possible thing I need to include in a Rehab and develop a ruff Rehab cost (I add an additional 20% just in case).  

I'd check that out for sure, it includes many creative ways to finance deals!

We currently collect the rent and maintain the property now including all repair and upkeep.

Most homes I'm finding, including in general a 20k rehab, are around 65K.  

I'm being fairly picky about background activity (mainly bankruptcies and evictions) and pets, so that's not helping.

Tough market for cash slow, but appreciation good in certain towns including mine---high costs, though.

Experience, accessibility of support, protecting your personal data, how long a firm has been in business, etc. are things you will want to include in your mix.