I am not saying I have a crystal ball and can predict the future but I have been investing for a fair amount of years and I am looking at the macro view of the global and US economy and how that equates to real estate prices especially on a local level of Central Texas. 

That said, to be conservative with my estimates and have a positive surprise, I predict your actual rent will be about $1,250 (see my original post).

I am a fan of https://www.youtube.com/user/MrAlanKendall/videos and this video is from three years ago.  He has newer videos but the fundamentals he discusses are the same.What does BP think?

In some counties in Georgia where I hold rentals, the local magistrate judge is predictable and abides by the law.

I don't think anyone could ever predict such a set of circumstances.

If your goal is to hold for a few years and hope for (or force) appreciation, then perhaps its an OK deal, too.Making predictions is hard, especially about the future.

That said, lenders open doors that you cannot open yourself, and in my opinion are much more predictable than private money.

But $5000 for an architect to draw a room or two is ridiculous -- this is more than we've spent on an architect to draw up plans to build a new 4000 sf house we're working on.Find someone less expensive (ask their hourly rate and how many hours they predict the job will take)...

It's not that I'm predicting a crash anytime soon, but I was hoping to find some data to keep an eye on to know when to sit on the sidelines. right now, I'm using case shiller indexes of affordability, but was hoping to see if there were better indicators.Thanks in advance.

You have more predictable income yield.Usually I look at my clients liquidity and net worth before I give ideas on what is possible.