Unfortunately (or fortunately) that information could probably fill dozens of books, and even then, I'm not sure there is a step-by-step procedure that will be foolproof.Part of the reason is that there are some things that can't be quantified very easily.

The easily quantified concepts were staggering in and of themselves.

Except there’s a quantifiable return on investment to doing it better, especially as the market becomes more saturated.

It is also hard for a lender to quantify the value of "room and board" and as banks have to justify their loans to the government I think you may have a hard time to stick their neck out for you unless your room and board is somehow listed on your paycheck. 

Obviously there are parts of investing that can't be quantified on paper, and it is more of those reasons that can't be mathematically quantified that we'd take a debt-free approach.  

The ability to borrow a lot on a HELOC may come up but it is difficult to quantify.  

The risks of debt are quantified by the probability and severity of financial distress (for our case).

Also helps to figure out what markets make most sense for you since you'll have a quantifiable metric to search against.

Clearly identify your objectives and quantify them.

This is harder to quantify and is different for every investor.