Given many are returning to offices, would Austin still be a good market to invest and own?  

Brokers will be eager to add you as a new agent to their office.

Finally, check with the Town to make sure there are no municipal liens, Make sure they're on Town sewer, check with the tax assessor to see how many bedrooms the tax office thinks there are, (important if you are flipping) buy ok to have more bedrooms if you are planning to buy and hold.  

This reminds me of a police officer  pulling somebody over without reasonable cause and asking to search their vehicle and if the person does not consent, they’re saying you must have something to hide.

You can get around that issue if you have a dedicated home office space that is used for the operation of your rental business. 

I remember once I was in a nice area of ATL at a closing and the attornies office was hot I asked whats up he said his two condenser got stolen that night LOL.. its a very active sport out East of the rockies we just dont hear of this on the west coast..

Make sure you talk to a Banker or Loan officer that is well versed in both SE (Self Employed) income and also Non/QM programs.One tip I will give you as a Banker is open up a "Business Checking account" and for the next 12 months pay "Everything" out of that account. 

I suspect it will be well used and have high maintenance costs.Software: office of google office, asana, possibly quickbooks (i would normally not suggest for a single rental, but the rent by room compounds things).  

The loan officer didn't care about the LLC, just said there would be additional papers to sign.

I wouldn't touch Franklinton with a 10' pole on the existing inventory side. gravity 2 is being auctioned and sold by the developer the area didn't support office developer lost millions:https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2024/12/19/gravity...linden I agree on if you can get a good deal. super fast appreciation. small homes, close to downtown, you can look at year over year and it's going up fast but also fast to change. any urban adjacent neighborhood is going to be good.