, everyone knows about them and they are very time consuming with no clear date or if you are ever going to get any kind of a deed to the property.

As a PM I will tell you that Zillow, et all, has made the job of the leasing agent very time consuming.  

They are 95% legal in Texas...if you can comply.A pure option OR a pure lease is fair game, regardless of who is getting the benefit.If you are *getting* the LO (and not a consumer), game on. 

lol  Particularly is they have no idea how the business model works and the benefits experienced by consumers. 

Receiving rent, paying a vendor, paying the owner...it all required duplicate steps and was very time-consuming.

It's much less time consuming for you, and it also generates a sense of urgency among potential renters when they see others who are interested, too. 

The answer you will get is that they are expensive and time consuming. 

I would assume it would be too time consuming to try to assess more specifically the operating expenses of each particular house?

On the downside risk side of things I'd try to ensure that nothing substantial has changed with regards to consumer metrics and preferences. 

Pro tip: take particular care to cover book shelves—removing dust from our books was one of the most time-consuming cleaning jobs we faced. 2.Pack as though you will be travelingThink carefully about everything you will need over the full duration of the renovation (plus the inevitable extension) when packing.