A simple spreadsheet should do the trick.

What are some tips, tricks, lessons learned or advice for someone looking to take the leap and begin their first deal?

The trick alot of GCs do is they know your out of state and not going to be at the site everyday, so they take your money and say I'll get around to that job when I can, in the meantime they are spending your money on a boat they just bought. 

The trick is to find a good one with experience who is willing to work with an investor.

I write here frequently about a little known Investor/Flipper purchase + rehab dollars loan for small investors called HomeStyle. 

I agree completely, and it is frequently mentioned on the podcasts, it's easy to think you are making progress (setting up an LLC, reading books, looking at properties on the MLS) when in reality you are just making excuses for why you haven't made a deal yet.

Whatever tips, tricks, articles, YouTube Videos, etc you can offer please share :-)If you are a Tax Delinquent Jedi, please connect with me!

Talk with a contractor that does this type of repair frequently and get their opinion.

I think this is a great idea, and attend these types of meetups near me frequently.

The laws, strategies and tricks have changed in buying pre-foreclosures so if you need that information, it's too much info to put here, got to my profile and follow the link.