I work with many investors from Bigger Pockets in the Atlanta market and have access to both on and off market properties.

It is important to work with a broker that has access to both! 

It is very easy and doesn't have to be contentious. just follow the steps.

It's easy to get bogged down by too much software in today's world.

Some "captive" agents like Farmers, Nationwide, maybe others also have some market access other than their namesake, but unless things are different there State Farm has State Farm only so when they're done, they're done. 

Many Texas cities are incentivizing developers to build affordable housing units, but challenges remain around keeping these homes accessible long-term.

While it's true I don't necessarily trust the pricing software algo, I really like the ease of accessing the data.

I’d love to hear about the crime rates or any other issues (which we cannot guess from the online stats), and how easy or hard it is to find reliable tenants and property management companies.

Super easy to setup, yoand they offer a security deposit trust, client trust, and operating account with their package. https://www.enterprisebank.com/business/property-management

Additionally, it's easy for a house on one lease to get absolutely trashed by the renter.