You can do it yourself with some DIY software or just google online site plan. 

Has anyone here used the flipster software that can attest to its quality?

You can then enter all of these addresses into a skip tracing software (I use prop stream but there are plenty of good ones) and gather their info.

I know there is software I can pay for that will help cut time with lead gen, but I feel that route may not help me learn as much as a beginner.I just wanted some feedback from the community on how you all would approach starting out.

What are some software and apps that you guys have found helpful to manage your business(s)?

I use facebook, but I turn off commenting because there are so many keyboard warriors just posting useless nonsense.If you use a property management software like TenantCloud (free for 75 units), they will publish your available rental on dozens of different sites with the click of a button.

This was a value add facility (we fixed the gate, added software, got rid of a meth-head, etc.

What is the best software for accounting purposes?

If you use PM, they will provide the accounting for you, they're usually using software like Buildium,manageproperties,etc.

@David Esslinger - I am in the same boat as @Chris Walko, we just charge a move-in fee now and don't do a deposit because it can be very hard to keep track of and then when you miss it up you have the "professional tenants" that will come after you.We self-manage here in Chicago and use a property management software www.hemlane.com which works great.