.- Most of the deals that came our way were for 60-70yr old wood frame buildings, that had been owned by their current owner for 25+ yrs, and we felt there was a definite risk that the economic viability of the asset was less than our planned (buy and hold) time horizon, and we were also highly skeptical of the insurability of some of these buildings or that the cost of insurance would not balloon once the ownership transition forced the insurers to reassess the building.Ultimately we pivoted to retail/light commercial mixed use properties.

You could try getting a HELOC with your primary and using this money as short term funds to acquire rentals that need a light-medium renovation using 100% purchase/rehab hard money and just using the HELOC to pay points and holding costs.

What it does do is put the burden on the user to be more energy efficient.  

Ensure the plumbing and electrical connections are regularly checked for any leaks or faults.Lighting and Fixtures: Modern light fixtures and ceiling fans add aesthetic value and comfort.

Be careful out there....some of the new builds are not comparable to the old builds....many of the newer ones are all siding, no brick, no light fixtures or ceiling fans...just LED recessed lighting...no doorbell, no garage door opener, no attic stairs, one piece tubs, vs tiled baths, no landscaping, no trees, and on and on....they've taken out virtually every single cost.   

Also, consider tax credits and incentives for energy-efficient upgrades or first-time homebuyer programs that could lower your costs and improve your return on investment.In summary, starting in California with an FHA loan and considering partnerships and LLC structures can set you up well.

If more investors spend a fraction of the time and energy spent worrying about asset protection and do the things on a daily basis that prevents liability exposure, plaintiffs attorneys won’t eat as well. 

That causes the light switch to flip and they go back to screaming.

Maybe you do a light rehab and raise rents.

Have been to Houston in 2013 and from my memory it gave me a similar profiling to Perth, WA very resource centric (mining, oil&gas) next to energy rich region and liked that the city was big yet not maddening as the NY/LA's of the world.