You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

I read online that apparently for WA state there's a state and national broker exam.

When I'm practicing underwriting, I'm finding a property that looks interesting, trying to find out median rates in the area and do some math to get to the NOI then divide by 6% and come up with some sort of value.

A good property manager can handle tenant issues and reduce your hands-on involvement.Building a Network: While you don’t currently have local connections, networking with other investors, attending real estate meetups, or joining online communities can provide valuable insights and opportunities.The next steps depend on your financing options, preferred markets, and whether you’re willing to manage tenants directly or prefer to stay hands-off.

You can probably find most of the books online like Amazon or someplace local like 1/2 priced books. 

I'm looking for any / all advice for best practices around how and when to inform tenants about the rental increase/request to vacate.

For example, Brandon Turner was great as a podcast host that helped a lot of people and now seems like another slimy online guru who is better at promoting and fund raising than being a good operator. 

Especially with high interest rates Hey Olu, It's definately hard to make properties pencil from day 1 but my reccomendation would be to practice practive practice underwriting deals to know a deal when you find one.

Definitely encourage you to practice analyzing a few properties using the “Deal Finder” at the top of your screen, and the Calculators (Under “Analyze Deals). 

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