I have family in Houston, Dallas, and the Valley, I was networking with brokers in San Antonio, but the Taxes seem to be quite high as well in that State, although much favorable laws/regs on the landlord side.

Our solution is "Do all the work on the front end" - we vet the applicants internally and go through their info with a fine-toothed comb.

We were initially looking out of state for a potential move and or investment property just because the property taxes without being able to homestead, plus high cost of insurance, and harsh weather on homes made me feel like it might not be worth it.

NAR Says - Existing home sales fall to lowest level in nearly 30 years and Median housing prices rose to a record high"The National Association of Realtors released data that showed existing home sales declined to the lowest level since 1995 last year, with 4.06 million homes sold on an annual basis.Meanwhile, the median home price median home price rose to a record high of $407,500 in 2024."

Since you are in an expensive market, commissions will also be high so you should be able to cover all of your expenses with just 1 deal basically, maybe 2. 

I managed a low end apartment block for several years. 

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I highly recommend exploring the gift of equity deals and using sweat equity for renovations.

Quote from @Jacob Campbell: Hello - After listening to the podcast, I've made a commitment to purchase a rental property by the end of Q2 this year (ideally by the end of Q1).

I've now used it twice.The program requires 10% down, must be a rental, no PMI, and has a very high standard of credit.Last I did it (Summer 2022), my rate landed in the low 5%.  

You’ll pick up so much just by listening to people who’ve been through the highs and lows of the market.