On the other hand, if you feel like you need some hand holding on your 1st deal, definitely, definitely, look into working with a realtor to help you with the process.

Brokers generally hand you off to somebody else to originate the loan -- that's why they are brokers.Ask given your financial situation, what sort of loan product would he advise. 

Lastly... from a liability protection perspective... hands down a good insurance policy is more important than LLCs.Hope this helps.

Initial estimates of transaction volume in 2023 suggest that a little less than $35 billion traded hands last year, a level reminiscent of the post-Global Financial Crisis recovery.As quarterly sales volumes have dipped below the pandemic's lowest points, 2023 sales volumes fell nearly 60% below 2022 levels, mirroring figures from 2010.

Think of it as a stepping stone.On the other hand, don't limit yourself to just one place.

I moved to be closer to my parents as their health has deteriorated, so sold the house and deployed those funds plus others both out-of-state and also in my new state.My old house went from $4M to $5M in the three years since we moved, but my portfolio that I purchased with the net proceeds has done WAY better both due to better appreciation coupled with leverage and it is cash flowing as well.I'm struggling to find good cash flow, due to interest rates, even in Arizona, Idaho and Utah. 

The list is endless and in many cases out of the hands of the builder. 

The end result is that you got paid to find a deal and put deal into cash buyers hand for a fee to you.To answer your other questions, RE licenses exist to protect the public from unscrupulous characters, but you already knew that.

So, I don’t THINK that the individual working by himself, with a couple of contract individuals, or virtual assistants, would be able to earn enough from this activity to build real wealth.  

Bring them all out to the property and go with the best numbers. 3) Deal Source- Since your an agent you have a little bit of an upper hand.