I've taken all the major options to consideration such as book keeping, accounting, taxes, payments, maintenance/trouble calls, price of software etc.At this point, I'm looking for the most balanced option that will best help protect myself and my assets.

Overall, this one hasn't scared me away from investing in real estate and I'm looking forward to what comes next!

You could be making real money by investing wisely.Also, I wouldn't be sure that Cali will always appreciate at the rate that it typically has.

I am learning so much, and I am looking forward to investing in real estate. 

I’ll be moving to Madrid in September to study my Masters in Real Estate.  

@Khayla WilliamsI strongly recommend against borrowing 100% for a propertyThere is significant risk in owning real estate including section 8 and maintaining the home in a certain condition and if you do t have the funds for those repairs you could lose it all.I always recommend people budget and save enough for a down payment and reserves before getting into their first property.

I am reading some books from BiggerPockets and I am having trouble with the calculations for expenses. 

Keep in mind hotels have a lot more moving parts and greater liability exposure yet we as a company still did not implement what you shared.Where we as operators differed was in our the understanding of the actual risks associated with owning real estate and how to mitigate or protect against them.

Is there a structured template you could give that is intended for real estate funding strategies?

This  is not legal advice, just my opinion as a real estate investor.