Is it worth the extra investment to take the face to face courses or with just starting out, should I go the cheaper route? 

Run the dad's credit and make him guarantee the rent. 4 years is a while ago, but its always best to get that extra guarantee.

We could potentially save anything up to $300 per week extra also, but we don't want to be miserable whilst chasing our dream.Thank you for reading and i hope somehow we can find a solution. 

You will be taxed on the income as you earn it and not necessarily when you get the cash.

@Jessica Wygal congrats on earning your license. 

The other thought is, perhaps you can refinance your current properties, and then have some extra cash to invest in the next deal, or you could look for owner finance deals etc.

I have no idea what I should be doing with my money right now, I get paid about $800 every two weeks if I don’t work any overtime.I put just about all of my money I earn into my savings account.

If someone is trying to access a single unit, it's a guest, until that person attempts to break or kick the door.As for the expense, most of my tenants would pay extra for a security system.

That makes the investment look a little better.Installing gas forced hot air will be less effective- depending on gas/oil prices, you might only save 10%, plus everyone will have to pay for extra gas service which could wipe out those savings. 

If he wants a nicer fence, he can pay the extra part.