Is there a different way of looking at this that I am not recognizing?

Recognize which phase you are in the real estate cycle so you know when to go all in and when to scale back.  

@Blair Poelman  NP just pointing that out as you did not mention one way or the other.and I think its a little pearl to know if you find oneself in the position of a lender trying to do that to you...

The feelings you have are definitely totally normal... some days I feel completely discouraged but it's important to surround yourself with positive people who recognize the greatness in you even when you're a bit lost in the dark at the moment.  

@Steve Perkins- It has been beyond my wildest dreams, I honestly barely recognize myself and didn't know I had it in me to do all this.  

In other words, the LLC generally doesn't recognize income itself...the owners generally must take responsibility for *all* it.

I knew from research that  "confederates' -- are people probably in collusion with the guru-promoter...it was not just real estate...it was binary options, stocks...options...All I know is that I wanted to be an "investor really bad" yes I told you I was addicted...and do you know what I would see over-and-over again...the same people just about everytime I went to another "free seminar" or went to gomeeting online and yep the same people still there (recognized their names)...was I spinning my wheels?

I'm a newbie but I train a lot on understanding real estate investing meaning I'm picking up that phone having those difficult conversations, going out touring properties improving my awareness of recognizing a good deal.

You might have the expertise to recognize pitfalls in a real estate transaction and trust an technology to vet service providers in the transaction but a lot of people don't, can't or won't. 

That said, I'm trying to be eyes wide open, and recognize the potential for that market to remain flat or even regress over the next decade while the state figures out how to balance and budget without further taxing a base that can't handle anymore.