I have done some research, but I’ve found that many mentors and coaches are asking for significant fees, which feels like a large financial commitment, especially as a newcomer to real estate investing.

While these advisory services are required as part of the day to day, self performing those and diverting that as income is not going to be significant enough to help cover living expenses early on unless you are jumping into large projects.

The substantial cash need for large down payment or all cash that most others don't have .

For the tracker, I would just have a simple Excel sheet without generic entries 

It has had higher appreciation than nearby towns since the pandemic and you should be cash flow neutral or slightly positive day one as a long-term rental with a 20% downpayment.Note that zillow and other websites greatly understate your property taxes. 

I am 21 with excellent credit and have enough/will have enough for the high down payment they require.

Rather than paying for childcare services from a large organization, we found that it was significantly cheaper to pay for a second mortgage than to pay for childcare.

No but you could create an excel macro to do multiple properties at once - also the numbers that someone provides to me I take with a grain of salt anyways. 

While replacing the toilet, a burst pipe caused Cat 3 water damage that rendered large part of downstairs kitchen and upstairs bathroom unavailable and cordoned off for repairs .

We also find that most flippers are working with contractors who are not quite large enough to get deals from distributors.