https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Lighting-Rendering-Voices-Matter/dp/0321928989/
I have the first edition, and then noticed this 3rd edition is available... kind of pricy, though. I thought it (1st edition) was quite good. I'm not sure what has been added to each update.
I would recommend Blender
It's free and there are a lot of resources out there to learn such as this fundamentals course
You want an "easy" way but as someone whose used 3D software for a long time, I can say, there is a bit of a learning curve! Worth persevering though for what you can do once you know how!
Good job!
The one thing I noticed immediately, as it twists the brain: the horizon of the background image does not match the scene and makes feeling as we inside the tilted house. Here's the demonstration
So You should bring background image lower.
Kerkythea is really nice. in my opinion it is a stripped down max. http://www.kerkythea.net/cms/ its free and there are tutorials as well. It is not well known but it gets the job done in my opinion.
For V-Ray, I'd recommend the MSI GF63 Thin Gamer Notebook if you're looking for a laptop under $1400. If you're looking for more options then this tool might come in handy.