The demand I saw for single families wanting a home in the country with a rural lifestyle, yet close to employment and amenities.

Other than speaking to locals, I cannot think of stuff that can be done in person and not online (schools, crime rate, employment opportunities, etc.)However, I am still a novice in all of this and was hoping to hear from those who have been there, done that. 

There are multiple strategies you can employ to start utilizing your capital.

I will definitely be employing many of the lessons I've learned in your books.

So I am now just selling them off and if I can break even on them that's fine... any gain over the depreciation is capital gain instead of ordinary income and no Self Employment tax.

Texas was among the first states to emerge from the 2007-09 Great Recession, surpassing its pre-recession employment peak in late 2011.

I would probably go for conventional financing (no other mortgages except my primary residence and fulltime w2 employment)...what are lenders weighing more heavily, front-end or back-end DTI? 

We sent one to the house hoping it will be forwarded and one to her place of employment. 

Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; it never works on reduced hours; it never has short crops nor droughts; it never pays taxes; it doesn’t need to buy food; or clothes; it is without the need for housing & so has no repairs, no replacements, no shingling, plumbing, painting, or whitewashing; it has neither wife, children, father, mother, nor kinfolk to watch over and care for; it has no expense of living; it has neither weddings nor births nor deaths; it has no love, no sympathy; it is as hard and soulless as a granite cliff.Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you.Reuben J.

You can also find demographic, employment, population growth data, etc.