It's not rocket science. 

Given the current rental market in Houston, you shouldn't expect much monthly income.

if you wait to take cash out or save it you are going to be waiting for home prices to rocket up in sale price.Mortgage rates are dropping and will continue to drop into next year so that means a few things. 

I'm a big fan of Dallas/Houston -- the strategy you pursue should be dependent on the property management resources you have in that market & your appetite for property maintenance (higher for STR's).

Big fan of Dallas & Houston -- what's your target annual returns on an investment property?

The other note is that in 2024, my income from the business really sky-rocketed, 3-4x what it was in 2023.

None of these things made me a better investor, or I should say gave me an edge that I could not have gotten otherwise.Buying a house and renting it out is not rocket science, despite what some gurus will tray to make you think.

It almost falls apart when they make the mistake of having this “guru” actor give a talk at the Realty Investment Club of Houston and during the question and answer period he is stumped by questions he obviously does not understand and is heard cursing into the microphone before stating that he’s late for his flight out, but would be happy to answer any questions by mail. 1996 - 2023 - The formula is refined; a seminar company operating out of Salt Lake City,Utah, or Las Vegas,Nevada develops a complete marketing and sales program for real estate gurus.  

Was looking into Dallas, Houston and Austin. 

Texas cities like Austin, Dallas, and Houston are experiencing rapid growth.