Hi there :)I'm brand new to real-estate investing but motivated to take action and start gaining momentum on my dreams of building a portfolio of properties. 

Quote from @Cade Antonucci: I am starting to grow my rental portfolio and am looking for online alternatives to hold security deposits.

I am not an accountant, but need to start using more sophisticated accounting software. 

You also may need to start with more capital so you are prepared for unexpected situations.

Quote from @Will Greenlee: I would agree with @Drew Sygit every software has its kinks and this one along with all the other ones started somewhere.. 7-8 years ago Buildium was less effective than it is today, and now it is a lot better.

Start niching down now, master your chosen property type, and don’t pivot until you’ve got it dialed in.3.

Quote from @Alex Spivey: I want to start renting as soon as I can so does anyone have adviceYou want to find a place to rent and occupy, or you want to buy an investment that you can rent to others?

Bigger pockets is a great place to start by asking advice to those who live or invest in certain states/cities.

There's a reason that people try to buy properties off-market and that is because you can find sellers who care more about terms than maximizing returns.So start with a conversation: you already presumably have some rapport since it's your landlord and you've spoken before.

As you start you will want to take into consideration that many owners and hosts use more than just AirBNb to host their properties.