I remember listening to a BP Rookie epsiode that sounds like it would help you! 

That sounds like a solid deal if it's in a growing area of Texas, but if you're looking to buy for residence purposes, I would wait and try to buy something you can house-hack in.

Sounds like you need a new CPA.

It sounds like you would be purchasing as a "foreign national".

@Mike Dymski I wish I could do something like 20% going forward but these days not sure how to go about that without lots of work which does not sound appealing.

Technology has allows investors and lenders to be effective nationwide.  

That's unrealistic after a year unless you're doing a certain level of rehab, which it does sound like NACA pays for renovations although I'm unsure how much.All this information I took directly from their website - https://www.naca.com/faq/gener...

Overall, these suggestions are great, easy to implement, and cost effective! 

Are there specific renovations or improvements that have proven to be more effective in lowering insurance premiums?

Sounds like a good plan - from a financing perspective, its a good idea to start researching now - for better or for worse, a lot of lenders view 1st time investors without a primary residence with a owner-occupied mortgage as a flag and might limit some options