Because those 4 zip codes are probably C areas at best I have just avoided them so I would not be a good source of information for you in this manner unfortunately. 

For $4500 a month I can do a lot of marketing and for sure find two off market deals.Bob P  I’m not an agent, but I have done a lot of my own marketing to find sellers willing to sell me their house in a manner or price that would make sense for me. 

I haven't found a single person in these forums who has articulated compelling answers to these questions.

I've told my wife I'd rather cut the losses at this point since now we have to refinance again, pay about $10k-$12k of closing costs, find a new general contractor who can work with us in a timely manner, and still the run the risk that anything can further go wrong.

I like this platform on BiggerPockets which allows people to connect with one another in a structured manner.

Unless there is a compelling reason to do something different, I'd like to use conventional mortgages for as many as we can.

So long you can collect rent on time in a reasonable manner.

Investors typically have more write offs than they have income… So no income tax in Texas is not as compelling as some might think in my opinion.

I would only consider taking on something like this in a partnership manner, where a local person, be it the contractor, a real estate agent, flipper, property manager, etc has real skin in the game, too, to help align their interests. 

If you find a lender/mortgage broker that communicates very well and in a very time efficient manner start there to see if they have a product that works.Most of the lenders we have worked with in the past we have done multiple loans with.