Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

Yeah @Drew Sygit, I am pretty sure we started the "flat fee" thing. 

Start by getting pre-approved with a VA/FHA lender and targeting a multi-family property where rental income covers most of your mortgage.Good luck!

A landlord friendly state won't save you from a bad deal.Not trying to be discouraging, just realistic. 

@Jacob HavlovickBigger Pockets is a great place to find a real estate tax accountant.A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

The tax savings could be larger than the regular income. 

THEN, I plan to purchase the second home using a FHA or conventional loan (3%-5% down), for which I will likely pay the monthly cost out-of-pocket, maybe with some rental income support if it is a duplex.My concern is, I do not want to spend my savings or weigh down my debt-to-income ratio so much so that I cannot qualify for and pay the down payment and closing for the lending on the second home.Questions: - With the first home being multi-family, 75% of the rental income (or potential rental income initially) will relatively either maintain or boost my debt-to-income ratio from lenders' perspectives, right? 

Any advice on starting out on this in the Houston or Katy market?  

It actually saves me $9 per month. 

I suggest you start out by meeting like minded people and here is a link to a local meetup in the OC: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1225233-ocre...Good Investing...