I was Googling to see about FNMA delayed financing on primary properties in Texas (Texas has stringent primary property equity loan guidelines) and saw this post on investment properties.FWIW - we provide FNMA delayed financing for investment properties regularly, and what you are leaving on the table in terms of lost leverage as it is being discussed here seems to be incorrect.  

How do you lock in a deal while leaving an out?

I would not leave Texas out of any investment discussion for so many reasons.

...Seems most of your other questions have already been addressed, leaving the one being quoted here.

It's Gated, fancy marble flooring, it leaves guests breathless...

this looks like a very good deal if vacancy is more around 10%.. rents would be 14400 at the lower end of the spectrum, which leaves you with theoretical 3400 per month. which is 35% CoC off the top of my head.

not sure when my reply was made, but my tenants (young but responsible kids) left at the end of January. they were paying $1125 and had to leave cause money was getting tight (baby and suck). i offered them to lower the rent for 6 months and then bring it back up, but they left.After some active and passive loss (updates and vacancy) that totalled ~4k, i put it with the agent on the MLS. just being vacant for one month costs me $2,250 (Realtor fee and empty month)was able to get applications immediately and signed up a family for 3 years at the rate of $1,225..increase of $100.

In this example, your $700 NOI plus debt service of around $670 would only leave about $30 in cash flow.

I work abroad, so I am limited with respect to the amount of on-the-ground research that I can do for the time being.I am in the fortunate position in that I have been able to save quite a bit over the last 5 years, so I don’t intend on getting a full time job after I leave my current position.

the tenants at one house moved out a few weeks ago. they were there just one year and moved in after the house was freshly painted and re-carpeted.anyway. there were fingerprints and smudges on the walls all over the house and even areas that you'd have to try to leave a fingerprint. nothing that a new coat of paint can't cover, but the whole house needed to be re-painted.regarding the carpet, there are dog pee stains and large furniture impressions. they tried to steam all stains out and even used spray chemicals to remove them. it does not smell, but the stains are there.would you charge them or keep a portion of the s. deposit for something like this?