Home price increases are sharpest in these markets, while dwindling housing inventory in the lower price classes could be discouraging people from buying.”Here are the basic stats on single-family home sales for February 2018 for the City of Austin and the greater Austin area:About the local economy, Mark Sprague, state director of information capital for Independence Title, said, "While wages and jobs in the Austin area haven’t increased, the local economy remains strong and continues to attract new residents and potential homebuyers.

And, does this option fee lower the purchase price?  

They will likely keep renting the lower cost homes and multi-units.

get tenants in at market rents or slightly below, build a track record, trailing 12 then refi at a lower interest rate with a regular bank loan.Make sure you cash flow with the terms/interest rate with a hard money lender.

I have found their prices to be competitive with REIGuard if not lower.

Being in our lower 20’s we still both live at home but are getting married in September.

The lowest quotes I got start at $275sf so yours is much lower. 

If you close a credit card with no balance, all you're accomplishing is lowering your borrowing power by whatever the credit limit was.

You are buying a cheaper property with more down, I just assume your costs for PITI would be lower than mine.

We showed the bank our plan to improve the NOI by doing those things and got them to lower the down payment by 5%.