What's it take to rank at the top?

attempt 2 at this post...removing the link; I think that's why it was blocked.

I have a side business where we (typically) fix up properties to flip or as rentals. I have a basic wordpress site I made.

I want to be at the top of organic search in my local market, for some niche keywords but maybe the general keywords too ("sell my house" for instance).

Before I go spending hours learning SEO, or $$ to pay someone to do something, how do I get a sense of what's possible, and what investment in terms of $$, time, timeline, it would take to achieve that? That way I can make a good decision on if the investment is worth the potential returns.

Any advice or recommended readings here?