My wife wants a nice home, and so do I, but I also want to be able to set us up for financial success in the future.

I'm a little skeptical about cold calling, does anyone have any suggestions for this?

Do what feels right and allows you to sleep well at night and remember that it's expected that your plans will change over time.I'll leave you with this...when a ship sets sail across the ocean, the captain doesn't set the course and go below deck for 2 months.

Do yo have a budget set aside for marketing? 

Sorry fellas been traveling for work but still interested in setting up something in Buda for that area and possibly even up Manchaca near South Park Meadows.

I am doubtful about you getting an engineer to stamp a set of plans for $300, unless it is very minor. 

Other than making cold calls every so often, my marketing is automated for the most part.

Of course, I always recommend that investors set their eyes on a property at least once, see the town, get a feel for the area.

How will it work, we set up marketing, I'll be the boots on that ground that meets up with seller, and buyers.

I know I can't write off the lost income, i.e. if it'd rent for $2,000 a month, and I donate the use of it to the church, I can't write of the $2,000 as a charitable gift.I know if I just treat it as a 2nd home, I can write off the mortgage interest and property taxes, but how do I set it up so I can write off the entire mortgage, insurance, utilities, etc?