I've noticed the forums provide a wealth of knowledge from individuals investing in a wide variety of strategies and feel this is the best place to start.

You should also network and find top-producing agents and real estate individuals to learn from.

@Ian Radcliffe Regarding your question, I think it depends on the individual.

I am using my own money, sitting in my checking account, and loaning it privately to individuals who I deem qualified to borrow it.  

This is completely up to you, If an individual came around with perfect credit and met your other income requirements I assume you would rent to that person.

Greetings,I am a 45-year-old individual seeking to expand my investment portfolio with additional properties.

That individual now wants out of the year long lease.

I know there are monthly meetups around town as well that are hosted by individual investors.

I've been saying this for a while that I feel bad for the individuals who are just trying to get a piece of the pie(first time homebuyer). 

If you have a few amount of properties, I would suggest excel.If you have more than a few properties, I would suggest an accounting software like quickbooks desktop, quickbooks online, Stessa or Xero.