Start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free).

We even made little signs to go up on the. door and on the kitchen to warn about fraud since it is more likely with self-guided showings.

Just wondering if there are good internet guides out there to help new investors understand steps in renovations and lay out scopes of work and materials needed so we don't miss anything?  

You are looking for evidence of water and mold and assessing the structural integrity of the walls and support beams.2.

Consulting with a zoning attorney is advisable to assess the feasibility of your project and guide you through the necessary procedures.Hope this helps!

But even with that, he needs someone to guide him or JV with him who isn't going to take advantage of his youth and inexperience.  

Do they actually deliver on what they promise as far as providing their members deals, and guiding them through the buying and rehab process?

All of those factors will guide you on doing a buy down.

Literally everything one should, or shouldn't be, do, know, act, will all be correctly guided from those 3 words. 

Start by reading the Ultimate Real Estate Investing Guide: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides/ultimate-real-estate-investing-guide/introduction2.