For us it really comes down to how much work you are willing to do and what level of proficiency are you willing to maintain. 

You may find the Austin market is different, however I do think the strongest play would be to become an agent and use your skills to save you money working with a contractor.There are many details to being extremely proficient at this craft.

@Justin Franklin though I have not used her yet, Connae came highly recommended by my agent:https://nremg.com/I spoke with her over the phone and she seems extremely proficient.

And anyone who does less than 25 deals per year is not really proficient; unfortunately that's the majority of agents.People who disagree with me will state that they just got licensed and have closed their own deals without a problem.

If you have only 1 unit, you will never become proficient at managing the property or you will have to hire a property manager and learn how to manage them!

You only need one account, but you should become very proficient (or hire someone) at Quickbooks or some other accounting software.

They fund loans for many people, but they operate more like a call center than a lender who has to be proficient and run their own book of business. 

Understanding the rehab process will make you more proficient in your investing career and have the ability to negotiate with contractors.Great post and keep learning.

Example is you find an attorney that is very proficient in residential but knows little to nothing about commercial.

Frankly, you won't do enough deals to be proficient or for it to make financial sense.