@Erin K. it would be in the typical places you would see in a stick home at the time - ceiling tiles, pipe wrapping, insulation, maybe other places.

This thread is turning out to be excellent source for the list of things you want check during DIY title search.

Look into insurance issues (flood, tornados and hurricanes) as Houston is on the Gulf Coast.Being an absentee owner, means DIY is out of the question and that forces you into being a manager, not a day-to-day operations 'officer'. 

I found a really good toilet gut kit that was only $20 at ACE hardware and it's the water saving one, does anybody replace the guts of their toilets when they first buy a property or between tenants as preventive maintenance?

you are dealing with gas and water, some of the most destructive forces for us landlords.i would go as far as providing new SS connection lines (hot/cold water) and a gas connection kit just to make sure nothing old/cheap is used to connect appliancesmyself i provided the appliances because it made the property more desirable. they are pretty simple and going on 3 years for now.but if I where you, I would check my local market first.also, about used appliances, some areas have pretty good local stores which also provide warranty and/or good appliances

Replace the toilet innards with a new flush kit.  

Sue K. it is not uncommon when there is a distressed property for the selling agent to look for offers as-is with no inspection.

Sue K.  It's

Painting is an easy diy job and it shows the tenant cares about the house.

They sell test kits to check the levels, but I couldn't tell you where to get one at.