Now I need to decide if I continue to rent furnished or store the furniture and rent unfurnished for $200 less/month.The apartment supply has increased and I have more competition. 

@Ashly Baugh Does Mid America supply the gas in your area? 

Maybe self list the property or get discount side to save 3% because your margin is so thin.If you have nice furniture maybe sell the unit furnished with a bill of sale to get extra cash for less out of pocket and then get financed furniture for your new place that you can pay for over time etc. it would also help save on moving costs.

I would reach out to the town and they should be able to supply the history. 

How many months before I buy a house should I start buying household items (furniture, kitchenware etc.)?  

Decide if you will be providing furniture for the bedrooms/separate dwelling units or not.7.

I'll have to see if I can find an 'Address service requested' stamp at an office supply store.

The current owner by law, in DC has to supply their tenants with notice and it is in your best interested to make sure these notices are delivered as scheduled.  

Houston September Housing Stats are out:  http://www.har.com/content/newsroomHighlights are: Single-family home sales rose 3.5 percent compared to September 2014;Total property sales were up 2.2 percent (8,024 units);Total dollar volume increased 3.8 percent to $2.1 billion;At $270,901, the single-family home average price reached a record high for a September;At $208,000, the single-family home median price also achieved a record September high;Single-family homes months of inventory climbed to a 3.5-months supply versus 2.9 months a year earlier.

Athens is an interesting town that has a constant new supply of residents.