The type of property can influence the risks you face, so coverage limits matter.

you might say something like, "I’ve been studying Austin and Denver for rental properties and have a $200,000 price limit—what are the pros and cons of both markets?"

Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal level Learn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are needed Know everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

Even if you rent at a break even or slight loss, if you could have 3 years of rental income offsetting your mortgage while realizing 3-6% appreciation, could be worth it, especially if you think appreciating for this area will exceed national averages.

The biggest challenge seems to be finding lenders that offer these loan products which is where I’m looking for help from the community with recommended lenders that serve Texas.The Fannie Mae (or Freddie Mac) options are preferred over FHA purely because of the (perhaps perceived) limit on renovation funds that the FHA option provides.

Buckle up, and prepare for total loss, or an additional capital call or two in 2025.

my experience in SC which is basically limited to building about 35 new builds in Charleston market and funding a few flippers up by Augusta and a few flips in N.

Quote from @Christian Pichardo: Quote from @Caleb Brown: Should you cut your losses and move on?

You are limited in your options if something worse should come along later, such as a large investment going bad.If $10,000 CDN is a show stopper for you, how do you expect to manage a $600,000 CDN property? 

You mentioned that your DTI is over 50% with less 10% down, so that's not an option....that 50% limit isn't necessarily a hard-and-fast rule, so you may still be okay @ less than 20% down (not to mention not all lenders calculate income the same way).