last year we didn't get a slow down into the holiday season because of harvey, and this year even after all the harvey inventory is dried up we are still pumping out contracts.

Dried out crawl space and regraded around foundation to divert water.

There are times when certain types of investment strategies dry up due to competition or market dynamics.

(If you feel like you're missing the "college experience", just find a group of friends who party a lot, and watch lots of MSNBC for the PC haranguing you'd get from your professors.)In my experience, there are three really good paths into real estate investing (there are probably more, but these are the three I've seen most):1) Have a super-high paying job that generates lots of excess income you can use to invest.

It looks like some of the land on the west side of town has stopped being farmed.Their wells might have run dry. 

And in between the point of purchase and sale, if there is a cash-out refinance you also plug in the excess cash proceeds that you received in that year.

The MLS can be hit or miss, I find the good stuff comes in waves followed by a few months of a dry spell (currently in one).  

If you took more depreciation than you were supposed to, the 25% tax rate only applies to the straight-line depreciation you should have taken, while the excess depreciation will be taxed the same as your other ordinary income without regard to the 25% rate cap.Any capital gain due to appreciation will be taxed at the long term capital gains tax rate applicable to your tax bracket.  

I bought at the right time - during the drought in Texas - when everyone was selling, thinking the lake was going to dry up for good.  

From what I gather the house will need a new drive way, garage door, paint, yard cleanup, and carpet in 2 bedrooms.My ultimate goal would be to take the loan, over 10 years, interest only, and a few years in refinance it into a conventional mortgage and use the excess money to go towards house #2.