All investment involves a degree of speculation, different strokes for different folks.

Since you are just graduating, i would probably go where my degree takes me. 

Yes to some degree I am with you on that.

solve the bigger problem: financial independence > small college subsidy  3rd nail in the coffin: there is no way any of us can have any idea in the world what FASFA, and financing higher ed in general, will look like in 15 years......but I'd bet a good chunk of money that there is a systemic student loan crisis in between now and then ("$150k in debt for an art history degree?

Most owners (including me) have some degree of “Monday Morning Quarterback” syndrome.

What subject is/are your academic degree(s) in?

You'd want to get a home inspector out there and then follow that with contractors and get actual quotes (and then add some in addition to that for the assumption that rehabs tend to cost more than planned to some degree).

I have no degree.

Houston is flat out humid, throw in 100+ degree days, and it is bad.Dallas is about 10 degrees give or take colder. 

A couple tips from an amateur: 1) Buy a high quality camera, 2) take the picture of the front at a 30-45 degree angle (makes the house look bigger), 3) Take the pictures in the middle of the day, but 4) Don't take exterior pictures with the sun in the shot, 5) Go for wide shots that make the house look big (although I don't generally like wide-angle lenses because people actually feel disappointed when they get there) and 6) The house still needs to be nice.