Then I'd make something that conforms with the downtown to blend it in, but with modern amenities (two or three story brick rowhouses work well in many downtown areas). 

Robert, here are my thoughts which are blended from my Investor experience and my Agent experience:Tenant insurance should always be required. 

This blend allowed me to secure the necessary funds quickly, taking advantage of the opportunity while managing the investment risk effectively.

Unless you have a 2k a night rental, people aren't going to complain about a few wrinkles on the sheets.They key is the blend.

We utilize various forms of technology to collaborate seamlessly with our clients and rarely have issues.If you are set on using someone local, search the BP forums for investors local to you and reach out to ask for a referral.

There are some Owner Builder and Builder Assisted programs that can assist you in this process and it can be seamless and hassle free with your having already done the hard parts (securing financing and land)Ideally you can find a builder who will do your project at a certain dollar amount a square footage which I am sure there are several in the Austin area.

Overall we really like the application and no plans to change in the near future (we currently have 3 rentals and one of them we have 5 college students who each pay their piece of the rent which Rent Redi handles seamlessly). 

In one case it was severely scratched when the oven was installed, and though the scratch is noticeable, it blends in and is the same color, so we decided to not even replace that board.

It was a seamless transition and we're only paying $0.18/kw instead of the tiered time of day system that would murder our cashflow. 

I think the options listed will give me a nice blend of what I need.