Well the Houston market is red hot.I consider one of your best options to be a house hack.

I’ll be out of state, which I know is a big red flag for many.Well below 1% minimum of Rent/Property ValueHoping to self-manage (Yes, another big red flag)Loss of capital gains exclusionMONTHLY SUMMARYRental Income $3,500Less ($3,440) Mortgage (2,900) HOA (390) Rent Ins (150)Less ($1,155) Property TaxTot Exp ($4,595)Rev: ( $1,095) !!

Catch all the red flags prior to submission cause once you submit a file that has uncaught red flags, that's when your process slows and lender's get nit-picky.From a lender, I want you to work fast, if I am hustling on my end to make it easy for their processor and underwriter then I expect fast work with an open line of communication and I want my rep at the lender to be able to fight for me or my clients should an obstacle arise - which they usually do.

So, a common action is what I call "the Red-Headed-Step-Unit".

Some counties and states do not publish criminal information so you have to go to every county to search.If there are any red flags, I will conduct a Google search of the individual's name and the city/state they've lived in according to their application and their credit report.

I find these people to be ignorant as in the root word "ignore" as they ignore historical examples. 

I’ll be out of state, which I know is a big red flag for many.Well below 1% minimum of Rent/Property ValueHoping to self-manage (Yes, another big red flag)Loss of capital gains exclusionMONTHLY SUMMARYRental Income $3,500Less ($3,440) Mortgage (2,900) HOA (390) Rent Ins (150)Less ($1,155) Property TaxTot Exp ($4,595)Rev: ( $1,095) !!

For example, Florida has the Marketable Records Title Act (F.S. 712) which provides that an unchallenged deed of record for 30 years becomes a new root title extinguishing prior interests. 

Now you will have some roots planted for less than $50. 

.- Neighborhoods to Avoid: Are there any areas that I should steer clear of due to high crime rates, low property values, or other red flags?