The key is that in order to completely defer all tax you must purchase at least as much as your net sale. 

Will your property tax rate go up after the sale? 

The reason is the rent-to-price ratio is good so you can cash flow, and most of the West side doesn’t have a Point of sale inspection which is really annoying.

So if I understand this correctly, by qualifying to extend the 5 year rule to 10 yrs, $250k if single or $500k if married of proceeds from this sale would be exempt from capital gains? 

Seller Pre-Sale Financing: Consider selling the tenant-occupied property "as-is" now to an investor, perhaps at a slight discount, which could save time and eliminate renovation costs.

You need to read the sheriff sale information carefully, or if in a county with a magistrate then read their ruling. 

While I am very knowledgeable about home construction and she is very knowledgeable about real estate sales, neither of us are knowledgeable about the investing side.

pid=2141Houston Real Estate Highlights for December and Full-Year 2024:-Following two consecutive years of declines, single-family home sales rebounded in 2024 with 85,163 single-family homes sold compared to 84,038 in 2023 an increase of 1.3 percent; -Total property sales for full-year 2024 were statistically flat at 101,864 units while the total dollar volume increased 3.1 percent to $41 billion;-December single-family home sales climbed 16.3 percent year-over-year with 7,162 units sold;-Total December property sales increased 13.6 percent to 8,478 units;-Total dollar volume for December rose 20.5 percent to $3.5 billion;-The single-family home median price edged up by 1.3 percent to $334,290 while the average price increased 5.0 percent to $425,150;-Single-family homes months of inventory expanded to a 4.0-months supply;-The townhome/condominium market experienced declining sales throughout 2024, and in December, volume declined 5.8 percent, with the average price up 2.5 percent to $268,152 and the median price statistically flat at $234,250;-Townhome/condominium inventory improved from a 3.5-months supply to 5.4 months.

Finally we purchased a home for $130k (Sales price) with a mortgage of $950.

Expensive markets are often desirable because many people want to live there, driving up demand and prices.Reno, NV, for instance, is a market that benefits from diversified employment sectors, including tech manufacturing, hospitality, and recreation.