I am strongly leaning toward finding a real estate related legal position back in Texas, grow some roots, learn the local market, make local connections, build relationships, and then investing. 

Rooting for you. 

You'll end up paying $127+4k for a house that the market has demonstrated is only worth $130k and you will have done so with someone against you, not in your corner, rooting for their $4k fee regardless of the fact you're making an investment that the market testifies is backwards. 

For example, my lease says (in part): "Tenant shall be charged for repair of drain blockages or stoppages, unless caused by defective plumbing parts or tree roots invading sewer lines."

Living in Oregon wine country requires a lot more cash than my farmboy roots in Michigan.

@Kyle Root There are 30 year fixed commercial options out there which would not require any length of employment or even calculate your DTI at all.

When dealing with sellers, asking why in maybe 3 different ways always got me to the root of why they’re selling.

Last year when they moved it was a massive bed of deep-rooted weeds, and the sides of the planter were nailed to deep posts in the ground and nailed to each other ever 4 inches or so.

Hello All, We are in the process of launching an advanced tech startup to support Real Estate vertical which combines Real Estate, Finance and Tech at the root level.

Rooting for you, @Anthony DiBenedetto