You should be able to get a ball park estimate on repairs by first finding out what you intend on repairing and then do some digging, Google "How much does it cost to fix ____ in whatever town you're looking in".

It's a way to eye-ball a property quickly to determine if you should investigate more or ignore it.I think you would be better off finding a REALTOR with experience in real estate investing.

Or should I consider using the equity I have in the home now to help finance the first path and stay in our home for a few years until that ball is rolling. 

You can always call up a couple local contractors or architects to ask for ball park numbers on building costs.

Lead with revenue, mean make money first and once ball is rolling start fixing the processes.7)Don’t wait to hire a transaction coordinator.

That way, if you run into challenges filling up spaces, you are not behind the 8 ball having paid too much. 

In my experience, even if you don't have the experience/capital to begin investing, fellow investors will be willing to help/mentor you if you show a passion for the industry and prove that you are willing to learn as much as you possibly can.With that being said, if you are already involved in the real estate industry, just not multi-family I would still suggest to educate yourself as much as possible (as multi-family is a whole different ball game), however I would look to leveraging and extending my existing network.

They had known about the conditions there for at least 10 yrs. and just used it as a convenient excuse to get the ball rolling.

Sadly, 4 years of college ball has come to an end, but I am PUMPED to channel that same energy to the real estate game!

Don't drop the ball and lose focus, for now I am guessing the bulk of your income comes from that day-job, and you're presumably an already established expert at that day-job.One of the BiggerPockets Money podcasts guests of @Mindy Jensen runs some swimming pool university website that is his primary source of income.