Thank you for the recommendation, I will be sure to look up some of David Ramsey's material.

He has lot's of material and focuses on it. 

Crowdstreet has a white label platform they will license to you for some startup and ongoing fees, so that you can use it to promote your own deals.

-I have concerns about my tools, construction materials etc being there unattended, but at the same time, I will have my entire home there unattended when I move in (albeit more secured).

Hello my name is Armando Diaz I am a general contractor and I have been doing multifamily and home rehab renovations and through out the years I have met so much people and I have a strong relationship with wholesale material suppliers, I can get the Sheetrock for $5.00 a sheet when Home Depot has it for $11.50 I can get new complete kitchen cabinet sets for $400 and also the granite fabricated to any measurements in $400 any type of construction material you name it and I can get it on a good price I can beat any price Home Depot and Sherwin Williams give you for 20 percent less.

There is so much material here that your only excuse for not being successful is inaction.

It identifies everything that needs to be accomplished, materials to use, and timelines for each sub project.Have you read J Scott's books on Flipping and Estimating Rehab costs?

Need me to call someone for you to find out estimates, material pricing, offers on a property, and just about anything else, let me know.

Very (VERY) little of the course material focused on real estate as an investment.

Doing renovations might not materially impact their opinion of the value (i.e. you might over-improve for the neighborhood).