My basic underwriting making some standard assumptions on HOA expenses, 20% down, 7% interest rate, 30 year mortgage, utilities, supplies, and maintenance costs shows a loss of about $22k per year if you are self managing.

For an example, we Googled, "hourly rate for handyman Austin, TX" and got this:AI Overview: As of January 2025, the average hourly rate for a handyman in Austin, Texas is between $25 and $25.28.

Charge the tenants a higher rent rate and include utilities with their rent.

If you aren’t saving the money up to buy another property chances are nothing will pay a higher rate than paying it towards your mortgage.

The interest rate is not special nor is the 20% down (80% LTV).  

Where to get the most recent and accurate data for things like:Unemployment dataPopulation growthJob diversity and top employers in the areaVacancy rates (eg huduser.org)Property taxes and jnsurance costsI saw bp pro and reventure and a bunch of other websites provide some of this data, but i wonder how accurate and recent it is.

When you finance through national lenders, in your experience, is a balloon a common requirement for commercial loans of this nature or is it possible to get a fixed rate for 30 years?  

Or at least what are investors looking for today as far as return and cap rates?

Charge the tenants a higher rent rate and include utilities with their rent.

Elite’s rates are a little higher but they sound MUCH more flexible.