There are more money to be spent than just down payment and closing, there is minor to major repairs needed to bring the property up to par prior to getting it rented.  

If I cannot find 3-5 I will extend the filter to include 6 months of sales before I go further than .5miRemember that a comp should have a similar style (don't compare ranches with 2 stories), similar construction (brick vs siding etc), and similar age (+-10 years if possible)

RN salaries are surprisingly comparable, cost of living much lower.

Mackaylee has been good at responding to emails and Kenna from property management was helpful when lockbox code did not work.USREEB have more options in 'A' class neighborhoods (Lees Summit, Praire Village, Blue Springs etc) compared to other providers focused on B and C neighborhoods.  

I would give both hard money and conventional lenders a good look.Make sure you put in the time to really research your lenders and to compare their rates and fees.But, like you, I'm very new to this so hopefully some more experienced folks can chime in and either agree with me or tweak what I said to make a little bit more sense.Either way, I wish you much luck friend!

It’d be wise to fix the cracks in the vase prior to pouring in more water.

Austin has a terrible public transportation system compared to what you're used to, so be careful not to underestimate the time it takes to navigate this city.

.- Is it sound strategy to use Zillow / Craigslist to find comparable rentals (same bedroom/baths, sq ft, amenities) in my area to set my rent price point?

Title insurers have essentially been forced to remove the survey exception from lender's policies so this generally only affects owners policies... but like I said, once a lender is aware of a title issue they want it resolved or insured over before closing.I would never purchase a property without either (1) a new survey or (2) a fairly recent prior survey + a survey affidavit.

Since we are doing similar projects I'd love to chat and compare notes and see where we can help each other out with GCs and sub contractors.