Now you got doors all messed up, maintenance guy goes out, pitbull chews on him, so he clubs it with a pipewrench. now tenant is in tears saying poor fluffy is dead, calls Jessie Jackson, now you got people picketing your property calling you a evil fluffy killing landlord....... 

The other thing to keep in mind is most lender will understand if you start with a 4 family, then go buy a 2 family, since the SF with white picket fence is the “American dream”.

You can always do a picketed 4' tall fence that won't make it feel smaller like 6' privacy fences do but still creates a visual barrier between the yard and the creek.Regarding the bamboo... you might also lose your backyard one day haha (not that it matters to your parents since they're selling).

I suggest to attend local RE meet-ups, there are several good ones around town like "Houston Real Deal" by @Charles Nguyen and Ray Sasser,  White Picket Realty, Realty Investment Club of Houston "RICH" (there is a yearly membership for this one) but their network of extensive experienced investors and number of free courses and sessions you get with your membership is priceless.

By the looks of my picket fence it seems the fence may have been there since 60's or 70's.

The problem, as I see it, will be to get our equity out of this building to buy the SFH - with a white picket fence and a yard. 

So many young (and older) people suffer from what I call "white picket fence" syndrome, ie: buy the best house they can almost not afford and then be married to their job for the next 30 years to pay for it.You guys are already ahead of the game.

I get most of my leads from referrals from past clients, my friends and neighbors, Bigger Pickets and various Facebook groups I'm in.  

For situations like yours, a lender should also not be doing gross rent * 75%.If you've got 6 rental properties and are ballpark honest with the IRS about your earnings from rent, I'm going to guess you actually have all the documented income you need.A loan originator can go an entire career, only doing "white picket fence" loans, and never need to learn to read Schedule E, Schedule C, any of it, and just say "nope it can't be done" whenever one of those scenarios comes up.

But I can say that the outside used reclaimed antique bricks from the north bay, repurposed, hand milled redwood pickets for the front yard and a lot of love and thought that went into a drought tolerant green space in both the front and back yard.