There are laws (and statutes with three "T"s) that may apply in these situations on both a state and federal level.

@Clare Pitcher I'm applying to a few online MBA programs now.

The FHA rules/regs (in particular the FHA self-sufficiency test) are applied the same across all markets, and I know for a fact that in rural communities across the country, and big cities that are not particularly desirable places to live, it's not a deal-breaker, I am not commenting on those areas. 

@Kaleb JohnsonRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

I say this verbally before they apply.

I am confident price is your issue especially if you are deriving the price off a poor comp (smaller unit, etc) and then applying arbitrary adjustments.  

I'm hoping that if Gov Abbott gets rid of property taxes, it will apply to investors, too.Thanks.

In Texas, as a licensed agent, you’re generally required to use TREC-approved forms for real estate transactions unless an exception applies, like (I believe) leases longer than 1 year or where no TREC form exists.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

It is what it is - if anything you lose a little and learn some lessons going forward to apply to your real estate investing career.