Daphne V. if you are just starting and want to be simple (as well as free potentially) I have no problem telling people to get started on Excel (or Google sheets) to track and categorize expenses.  

@Brian Erlich -Very few (if any) excellent contractors are going to be willing to let the customer buy materials themselves.

Not only was it a great opportunity to meet with so many other like-minded people, but an excellent chance to hear some really useful information from the keynote speakers who are obviously very experienced and quite successful in their field of endeavor.

@Douglass Benson thank you, that's an excellent idea!  

It is truly unique, offers excellent ROI and the starting investment is just $10k: Have I Found the Holy Grail of Passive Real Estate Investing?

Excellent choice -- both of profession and community. 

My credit score is excellent and income is not massive but I do so so (less than 40K). 

Abraham,Actually you can cross collateralize some or all of your properties and use as down payment to purchase apartment.

New construction is what I excel in, I have 3 new builds under my belt as well as 3 complete remodels.

For Charlotte Apartment AssociationAnd they have some excellent great seminars and training classes in property managementAND tenant procurement.9.