I would definitely contact an attorney to see what your options are/if it's worth pursuing.

How would someone pursue that as an option?

The lender would then have the option to pursue the original seller for the deficiency if they chose to. 

When I was 16, I saw my parents real estate investment take a turn in assisting them pursue financial freedom and when I was 17 I saw the effects of bad mortgages on a close extended family member.  

Being that FHA, VA nor USDA pursue judgments,  I would be surprised if Texas is different than other states.  

Figure out what area you are most passionate about and pursue that.

With so many avenues to pursue in real estate, does anyone have advice of which to start with?

Just curious as I am pursuing house hacking right now as well and have been considering the possibility of choosing a single also.Oh yeah, also I just moved from Quincy a couple months ago.

But if you stick around with a few good wholesalers (and there are more then few out there) and you develop a good relationship in becoming their go to buyer you should have more then enough properties for any investment strategy you are pursuing here in Chicago.

This led me to start taking the limited funds we had to start pursuing various business opportunities.