I’m down in south Jersey so this might be different where you live.

My realtor/PM says $0.95 to $1.05 per sq. ft. is a reasonable monthly rent for a 4 BR/2 BA property in that area, which (according to the BiggerPockets calculator estimate I did) is enough to cover the monthly payment plus the above costs I mentioned.I anticipate putting down my deposit and earnest money in the next few days. 

I'm now courting builders for plans and estimates, narrowing down to few I've shortlisted. 

Most of what I see in North Texas in decent areas like Anna will need about 30-40% down to break even or cash flow some.To me it is big for a rental, especially in Anna. 

As I continue to save and approach an acceptable down payment threshold, I am debating a few things and looking for some advice/insight. 1.

Lenders will want to verify you have 25-30% down and 6-12 months of reserves + closing costsEverything else is straight forward.

If the housing market crashed or even corrected, I'll be loosing what I paid as down payment(25%) on both of my rentals.

In my coverage area, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Carteret, Union, Elizabeth, Plainfield, Bound Brook, Dunellen, North Plainfield, Manville are just a few off the top of my head that are big rental towns. 

Basically you can fix it now and spend the $10k or as mentioned spend the $ to jet it and then realize it will cost 50% more down the road because of rental loss. 

Once that question is answered it helps to narrow down amenities.