The water entered via a floor drain that is not visible, hence not up to code.

He recommended that I first hire a designer that will not only design it but also make sure it passes all codes.

Holly,I'm with Andrew Freed here on his #2, make sure that you do not rent to more than 3 unrelated individuals as it is against the city codes. 

You shouldn’t have to ask any questions, other than what it is, they should have a criteria…EX:Less than 20 years old, 1800-2500sf, 3+bed/2+ bath, 2+ garage, stucco siding, non-flat tile roof, no grass in these zip codes/areas.  

From what I see - several SFH properties in the Leander zip code have been on the leasing market for 25-40+ days with no movement.

Any recommendations on books to read to gain knowledge on the structure of buildings, building codes, history of buildings & how they were built, etc.Ultimately, I would like to gain a better understanding of these topics & concepts to know what to look out for when purchasing older - newer homes. 

It's a great topic, should prove very interesting for you and will help you in your purchases and renovations.1) To learn about the code, read the code.

With we did this earlier, but amazing what using the tax code as a tool can do!

Maybe appliances too, depending....Make sure to add lighting, it's cheap and adds a lot - cans in the ceiling and under cabinet strips.Note: you will probably need to add a few electrical circuits.....current code requires a lot of appliances to have a dedicated circuit.

Also not sure what year this building was built make sure to account for new code requirements.