If I could move to a more simple software than QBO, it would save me several thousand a year, and the simplicity would be valuable as well.

You will learn a lot on your own home that will save you time and money on investment property.

I have a W-2 Job, capital saved up for a down payment (or two), and a buy box based on my affordability.

You'll find that rental property investing isn't scary at all and a great property manager can actually save you more money than they will cost!

My original plan was to save up for a year and buy my first home.

Don't forget to change all your faucet aerators and shower heads to low flow it makes a huge difference as well as far as water usage and saving HOT water. 

Some Attorneys will provide you with the written step by step process on eviction and you can file all the paper work yourself ( this will save you some money) or you can have the Attorney do everything. 

Yes, you can “save” interest by paying off a loan faster - SO WHAT?  

My recommendation is before chasing all these real estate deals is to go earn and save some money so when a good deal comes a long you can take action and move on it. 

I still have enough room with my VA entitlement for a buy and hold in a couple of years, so I'd rather save it for later!