Each has specifics, such as...houses newer than 93..can't back up to power lines...no retaining walls...etc.

*Getting married in September so any savings I have is on the back burner for that and we'll probably be starting from scratch. 

You should have reserve funds sitting in a savings account as well as credit lines and credit cards for backups.

An agent I know had an unrepped buyer on one of their listings who didn't set up their wire in time for closing, went into default on the contract, and they had a backup buyer who scooped in and bought the property instead.

It dropped 100 points form 740 to 640 and it has not come back up in 3 months.My parents are more than happy to take out the loan as they are very financially well off, own a few homes in cash, and have no interest in ever taking out another loan for themselves.

Texas  Mississippi are notorious for expansive clay soils.. its more than just Mortar if the foundation is off.. if its a slab they have to cut holes in it and put in piers and jack it back up to level.

Once the bonus depreciation is over, your tax goes back up.  

Last post was about a year ago but perhaps you check back up on some older posts.

if your goal is to build up a small but mighty portfolio of rental properties, then "time IN the market beats timING the market." don't wait for the best conditions to buy. just find deals that make sense with the current rates. it won't be as easy, but everyone's doing it. but don't bank on being able to refi later at a lower rate. that's a bad backup plan. 

this could be a good solution but you should still at least break even with LTRs as a backup plan. note that even a breakeven deal is only breakeven for a short time. rents go up, mortgage goes down. you could also start looking offmarket!