I'd love to have an international property at some point, and would have expected that Norway would be a country that was growing and also that the affordability of owning might be increasing the renters pool there as it is where I live near San Francisco.  

Pool: Good or Bad????

Need to put a solid fence across the back yard so potential renters don't have to see the mother-of-all-junk-yard-dogs hanging over a three foot chain link #7 - rented it out last night along with #6. 

They tend to pool investors money and give them the return and then live off of the points charged on the loans.  

We have added additional fencing to a pool even though it was not required but not fixed railings that were an inch out of building code because they were not a risk in our opinion.

It seems house selling price will be around $370k (which seems low to me as house in located in Avery Ranch Area in Austin with lots of upgrades, big corner lots) , plus I have to pay for replacing carpet, putting new grass at front and backyard and others fixing items in house which can cost me another $5k to $15k.

Real Estate markets no longer need to necessarily be in your back yard.

Many apartments have swimming pools, tennis courts, putting greens and fitness centers. 

I have read/heard that it's best to start "in your own back yard" to get the feel of being a landlord/investor, but when my backyard isn't the most fertile soil, I may need to cast a wider net.  

Both have their advantages.Apartments are a lot more expensive then homes so the barrier to entry is higher but they are easier to finance than homes.Homes are easier to sell as you have a much wider buyer pool and the barrier to entry is much lower.