It's a single mom with one cute toddler that works her butt off to raise her kid, hold a full-time job, and go to school at night.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions they can give a beginner such as myself?  

However while people in Windsor doesn't have the luxury of high paying jobs that GTA residents have, is it just a temporary fever of buying houses, or there is really something going on in this city ? 

Ebooks, podcasts like @Bonnie Low suggested and start running numbers on every deal you see until you know how it all works.

It even gave suggestions on what I could improve based on what my competition is offering.Link to the operator in action is here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C1uTqgWGfs3AMsUdDWd0FOTbVFM...Quick tip: don’t pay the $200 for this just yet.

Good on your friend for suggesting house hacking a duplex.

Now, use your job income to pay off the HELOC over three years ($90K plus interest).

Build out the network for GCs in your area and start to bid jobs, then you can build out how much each job would cost.

Use a buyer's agent that knows the market, contracts, negotiations, etc.If you really want to learn about investing, get a job in property management. 

Just like the asking price, just because the owner suggests one interest rate or term doesn't mean you can't offer something different.