Should we try online lenders? 

Also, I have no affiliation to any insurance company, but am impressed with lemonade insurance - you should be able to get that quote online.  

analyze 10 deals a day talk to 10 local investors a weektrack units online to find asking price versus sold price read the local news extensively for job, population, and growth newsdriving to a location helps, but not as much as data.

Zillow and Redfin are pretty much everything else I see online.

You can check online references and websites to find more information about the career in real estate.

There is probably an easy yes or no answer to this, but I can't find it anywhere online or in my Nolo books: if I have repair costs "incurred" prior to me putting a rental into service, but were actually paid with cash after the rental was put into service, do I still capitalize them along with the purchase price and then depreciate? 

Where is the best online website and gurus to learn the business from

Not every investor is suited to be a landlord in every possible neighborhood.If the reality of a stolen meter surprises and rattles you, I think you are probably better suited for being a landlord in other types of neighborhoods. well put and many West coast investors don't realize this until they already own them  and boy you should have heard the Austrialian investors.. they could not understand why their rent was not ACH into the account on the 2nd.. when they learned that most of their tenants did not have checking accounts.. you could see their chins drop they simply cant understand how that can be.. when in their country banking is all electronic and no checks are used or money orders etc.. its all on line.

Prequalify them [ really not just ask them do they want to buy a house but full 1003].Then take the ready buyers list and market to all sellers that fit that criteria - via online, email, direct mail, FaceBook, door knock etc.

Nothing you read or google online can teach you.