Hey Francis,This is a great place to start! 

We want to get the renovation start immediately.

Starting out, I was pinching any penny I could, so would spend hours and hours measuring and building plans.  

Start micromarketing; stop spray-and-pray unless you have a marketing budget. 

Do you know what worked best for them when they just started?

I'm looking for other investors in the high desert that are willing to meet up and potentially start a partnership.

It makes sense from surface level but I feel like there's some deeper insights I can learn from understanding the value proposition.REI is ****ing sickI have learned so much in the past 24 hours after signing an offer I hope I crack a smile on one reader reflecting the beginning of their journey.Appreciate all and any insight

I am just starting out my REI journey and still learning the ropes of everything. 

Am totally new to investing, but every training session i read or listen to, says to start in your back yard. 

Quote from @Kiefer Cheney: Thankyou everyone for your responses,  it might seem a little weird that I want a software to track everything when I have only 1 rental but even if It helps me just a sliver it makes a world of difference for me and plus I also want as much time as I can get to mess around with software and perfect it before I have a bunch of rentals  If you plan on getting more rentals in the future, then you are on the right track of starting with good software now that can grow with you