Minimums for Gold IRA - A real estate agent's perspective

• •Okay, so I've been doing a ton of digging into Gold IRAs lately, seriously considering pulling the trigger.
• •I'm a real estate agent down here in Miami, and the market's been wild, to say the least.
• •Gold just feels like a smart move for some stability.

Okay, so I've been doing a ton of digging into Gold IRAs lately, seriously considering pulling the trigger. I'm a real estate agent down here in Miami, and the market's been wild, to say the least. I've got around $180k in my portfolio right now, mostly in some mutual funds and a Roth, but I'm looking to diversify, especially with all the inflation talk. Gold just feels like a smart move for some stability.

My big question for those of you who've already gone through this process is about the minimum investment requirements. I've seen some companies advertising $10k, others $25k, and even some that seem to imply you can start with a lower amount if you're doing a direct purchase instead of a rollover. I'm aiming to allocate roughly 10-15% of my current portfolio to gold, so we're talking somewhere in the $18k-$27k range. Is it worth trying to hit a higher minimum for better service or lower fees? Or does it really not matter much once you're past the initial hurdle?

I'm trying to build a solid retirement nest egg here, and while I understand gold isn't going to make me rich overnight, I want to make sure I'm setting myself up correctly from the start. Are there any particular companies you'd recommend that have reasonable minimums but also excellent customer service? I'm picturing myself having to call them up every now and then with questions, so I don't want to get stuck with some automated nightmare. Any insights from fellow investors, especially those who started with a similar portfolio size, would be hugely appreciated!