I added a pool and did some landscaping and have been using it as a family winter retreat and renting it to a STR operator the rest of the year.

Did you think back in 2019 that Texas would face a winter storm like Uri in 2021?

Especially in the winter in heated apartments if they can see a warm place to sleep they are going inside.

most contracts your 5k is your liquidated damages in most contracts. .. so snag that fire the agent and find another buyer if 13k is that important to you.. for sure not worth hiring an attorney for. 

With winter break the town turns into a ghost town and not a lot going on here until March, or so.  

I've dropped every single property I had under contract with SIH.

Quote from @Alex Ng: I plan to purchase a property with an executory contract.

The cold air often runs out in the summer and the heat doesn't turn on in the winter.

I would keep them at least until the summer because it is not great to lease in the winter. 

Nobody likes to work hard in the heat.The biggest concern in the past has been winter, but 2024 was the warmest year on record and we have seen +3F on average in every season, which really took the edge of winter (you can call it brown grass season now) while summers are pleasant 75-85F.The cost of living is low, yet the quality of live is relatively high.