What is the right order of doing things?

[Jason G Goepper]

I am a firs time homebuyer looking for an investment property but am having trouble figuring out how/where to start. With so many different moving parts being in play, I need some help on where to start.

The typical things included in the deal are a Title company, an inspector, a lender, and attorney, a CPA, property managers etc. It especially become confusing when I try to use the Rental Property Calculator and am trying to figure out the right information to plug in. What is the normal order of operations? Do you find a property first, then find a lender, then a down payment, etc.? What's the best way to find expense cost like utilities/electricity/garbage? If I am using the rent estimator tool for a duplex, is the number it comes up with a gross rental number? or what i could charge for each unit? Sorry for the rambling of question, just a lot going through my mind!