Others are responsible with their budget and can stretch a dollar.If they are excellent renters, I would offer them the option to renew and let them make the choice.

Do you check Landlord references?

And now a Zappa reference too.

If you added in the cash you should have to protect against contingencies, the actual return goes down (or the risk sykrockets, your choice)- If the $300K properties cashflow, definitely a better bet. 

@Rishika Garimella I am a local home inspector and investor in the area. i think Austin is a sleeping giant right now. the rates are really scaring away buyers. but since competition is so low right now, its a great time to snag some property while its not being ripped apart by investors. i think the hutto manor area is a great choice, once that freeway opens up that connects taylor to round rock, it will definitely become a point of interest.

With this choice, you can manually assign the request to your preferred contractor using the "Send Work Order" feature whenever a maintenance request comes in.

What kind of resources do you recommend for finding a good first choice? 

.- The TL states that those are technically the team's leads and I will owe the 20% if they convert within the year since I was given training (which I was not), lender referal (which was forced on me by the TL even though I work with my own lenders for my clients).Is the above statement true/legal/valid?

That's not what I am referring to.

You can do a duplex though, which might not be a bad idea.With your credit score, conventional might be a good choice, you only need 5% down for 2-4 units if you live in one.