San Antonio is known for its relatively lower cost of living compared to many other major cities in Texas.

I would ask the lender you applied with to disclose how they calculated your DTI... sometimes they fail to add back in depreciation or deduct costs from your schedule E like tenant turnover, improvements, etc. that shouldn't be included in the DTI calculation. 

They cost 25k each on average and so far they’ve been easy to self manage out of state.

Once you depreciate a property one way, I don't think you can make changes once the ball is rolling ... especially if you cost seg and bonus depreciate.

When you sell the property and gain the difference between the sale price and the cost to you, that's profit.Net profit to you on a rental is the cash flow. 

We're seeking a 2-family house with parking for at least one vehicle and close to public transportation.

Rising insurance costs are probably the number one driver right now of our overall expenses.

I've seen a lot of Allstate rental properties with ACV or market value coverage rather than Replacement cost and other tricks to reduce coverage levels.  

In that environment buying in the hood becomes very tempting, but that little bit of cash flow comes with a huge cost in headaches, the probability of property damage (things like a charcoal grill in the living room) and long term you might just be treading water.Average net cash flow is probably around $200 per door after you have stabilized the property, so you need a few units before it amounts to something.

If it’s a safety issue, I’ll of course make sure the premises are as safe as they were before any required maintenance was done, but she is now suggesting that if I don’t reimburse her for those specific anchors, I am violating fair housing laws for familial status and/or tenants rights regarding not incurring costs for required repairs.