It's hard to beat the flexibility of Podio, although it does require some time & effort to set it up. 

If money were no object, do you have a specific property (whether it's for sale or not) and address that would be an ideal first investment for you?

If I were in your shoes, I would set up keyword alerts for the Texas cities you're interested in as well as any other keywords that are relevant to your plans.

Andy Sirkin (fantastic legal team from SF) has a library of free online articles and a set of agreements to purchase, to help you on your way to become a Subject Mater Expert. https://andysirkin.com/article...Elizabeth and Christina (The Rental Girls) have done a great job pioneering the shared ownership (TIC's) model in Southern CA. 

He'll lend in markets where there's a network set-up that has proven to move investors through. 

I even had preventative maintenance set up, but the root growth rate was unpredictable.

Do you have your contractors set up? 

I'd go on ABnB and see what your competition is doing that you can copy.Maybe a Firepit out front (as long as it's not a fire hazard), maybe a cornhole set?

One would be when you have a primary home and its listed on MLS (for sale) and the bank gives you the cash out until the home sells and the loan is set up for 12 to 18 months.

Learn a valuable skill set that will allow you to make more money, therefore have more financial flexibility.