A spreadsheet has its place in your daily operations and tracking efforts, but I highly recommend starting with a software like QuickBooks Online to track your expenses in a more formalized manner.

She has a great online portal for uploading documents and is happy to help with specific questions.

Alternatively, can I get pre-approved online or with my bank and go from there before shopping between lenders? 

Check out other online guides available here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides3.

Hey @Trenton Pelloquin, we use QuickBooks Online exclusively for all of our REI Clients (including buy-and-hold Clients).

The app has given us a little trouble, but the online software seems to work great. 

Check out other online guides available here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides3.

We put the request in online on a Thursday night, and late Monday afternoon they asked for due diligence questions which would have delayed our wire till Tuesday.

Otherwise I would just check to make sure the company is legit by looking them up online.

Single-family homes and small multifamily properties are popular choices here.It's also a good idea to connect with local real estate groups or online communities for advice and to find good property managers.