Politics swing back and forth.

Then I would go to where the jobs you want to do are.Another consideration might be if you have any hobbies....are you going to fish, or play golf, or volunteer, or hike or something else when you get out....might look for those activities too....something to keep you busy.You are always welcome in DFW area....currently seems to be a lot of jobs here, area is growing, plenty of things to do, and we do have a VA hospital.

I can swing it I am sure.

In December 2023, the median listing home price in Austin, TX was $630K, It will have big price swings. 

If you are interested in seasonal, plan to find property near major attractions (Polo, Beach, Golf, Ball park, etc).

Additionally when the economy has it's usual swings vacation rentals will be one of the first to be negatively impacted.Your plan at best could make the ownership more affordable.

Less time to build up your investments and less time to recover if/when mistakes are made.You won't be able to swing a hammer like you could in your 20s, so you may need to be more hands off in certain aspects, but never totally hands off.Strategy:Because of the pros and cons above, you may wish to focus more on cash flow than appreciation, especially if you will need this cash flow to live off of.

I think taxes are fairly low, and laws are generally landlord favorable if I recall.If your dead set on flipping, continue networking, go to REI meetings, start golfing, let all your new acquaintances know what you do and what your looking for, and start contacting RE agents and brokers.

If our schedules overlap at all, feel free to swing by and say hello.

There are also a bunch of traveling nurses as that are always looking or you'll have the retirees who vacation here for cheap golfing.2) Long Term:With the annuals it seems to be hit or miss.