All of the BiggerPockets podcasts are great supplemental learning material.

Are those just for labor or also assuming material expense, as well?

We have a SFH in Pflugerville TX (just north of Austin) and most of the leads we see are 1-2 bedroom folks (ours is listed 3bed at $3200/mo).The leads we get from people that want a SFH never materialize.  

Also spell out as much detail as possible in your scope of work with the contractor, you cannot assume that they are thinking the same thing as you when it comes to finishes and material choices.  

Please advise I (the landlord) should pay for labor and material to cover the area with rocks, or Tenant is responilbe to clean up the area and pay for the labor and material. 2.

They have huge efficiencies of scale building the same floor plan over and over ordering the same packages of materials.   

@Michael Plaks is spot on - character wise, 1099-R income falls in the same "bucket" as a W-2 wage would be, thus to offset this income with real estate losses, it follows the exact same pathway (ST rental with material participation or REP status with traditional rentals), but since you don't have all your time sucked up with a W-2 job, you have much greater flexibility to hit those related hours thresholds under those paths as well.No idea if he's taking clients - but if you are looking for local(ish) and qualified in TX, Michael is also likely a great one to reach out to.

Here’s a quick breakdown based on my experience:Building new construction gives you full control over the design and materials, allowing you to incorporate the latest energy-efficient systems.

I hold two properties in an LLC, one property is currently a STR with less than 7 night rental on average and I provide hotel-like hospitality services and materially participate.

There are some opportunities (potentially) developing in the Sunbelt with a steady increase of inventory over the past few months, but we still have yet to see prices drop materially.