I believe the one good thing about that spreadsheet is that it can be adjusted by the State you live in. because costs are different in every State the estimate sheet i believe is based on a multiplier for the corresponding State, as most cost estimating books are based. that program does break down a lot of information for you and i think it is a good program, one thing you may want to check is if the program updates every year with current multipliers for the States ( program is probably based on a starting average value for each thing and then the multiplier changes as prices for materials change) and you want to make sure it does that.

Start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free).

Are you wanting to be very hands on or completely hands off?

To qualify for ANY tax exclusion under IRC section 121, the taxpayer must convert to principal residence use hand hold for an additional three years (so the holding period is no shorter than five years).

Here are some local meetups and groups in the Portland Metro area that you might find helpful:Local REIA Group: A solid place to start for networking and learning as mentioned by Melissa!

I'm able to start with my annual goals and break them down quarterly, then into monthly and weekly tasks, then down to daily habits and tasks.

I'd recommend Pocono Summit and Locust Lake, both hot spots right now with a handful of good listings. 

For a typical duplex or triplex, insurance can range from $1,500 to $3,000 annually, with flood insurance adding $600 to $2,000+.I’d suggest starting with a thorough market analysis to get a better understanding of the neighborhoods you're interested in.

But as someone trying to get their first deal, I am not hoping to get a great deal but just an okay deal, which means a cap rate around 6-7% with at least neutral cash flow to start off.

(The arrangement was that they pay me for electricity because they share electric with other unit.) and they started to complain about roof leak which caused them hardship.