You can always recast the loan when you have funds to reduce the principal.

So large, national, publicly traded banks are out. 

I think if you are buying real estate from the general public it doesn't sound great.Ninja can be associated with being sneaky and assassins.

@Ronald Rohde Many in the general public are bilingual these days, but because of the language barriers, there is a greater possibility of some sectors of the general public being preyed upon.However, as was suggested earlier in this thread, I don't the problem is nearly as big in Texas as it used to be.I've run into it from time to time here in Arizona and I know several years ago I talked with the AZ Dept of Real Estate about my experiences with one licensee who they said had a known history of preying upon the Hispanic sector of the population in the Phoenix area

I’ve heard the sweet spot is when about 30% of a street has turned - basically enough to reduce a lot of the crime but still with enough time to appreciate significantly.

Zillow and instant value sites like it only go off of outdated public data.

All else being equal, any statute that limits property rights is going to reduce the value of that property.

@John MillsCheck the county recorder tax records as this information should be public record. https://taxcollect.com/search/

They offer surety bonds so in the event a tenant causes damage  to your property and doesn’t want to pay you aren’t left having to pay out of pocket. https://www.suredeposit.com/Public/default.aspx

Opportunity Zones allow you to reduce your tax basis as well when it comes due and be exempt from further taxes.