Find out what financial problem you are trying to solve in the short term until your able to get to more "long term" problems that real estate helps with 

Is there a better way to find out how many existing units are there in each town, or do I need to drive to each facility and ask?

So, we now find most areas where the cost of PM leaves but the general real estate passive investment ROI for the investor hiring property management.  

However, finding properties that would cash flow with a 20-25% down payment on 400k property has been challenging.

Find a quality agent in Texas, then ask them if they offer a referral fee.

If they don't respond, give them a 30-day notice of termination and find a tenant that's more responsive.

If they are, I would pay them off first.I would invest in a different market(likely bigger market) where you can find reliable contractors or find a PM that will be able to manage the properties.

Quote from @Devin James: Gross Margin is an important calculation for developers/builders.Gross Margin = Gross Profit / RevenueWe shoot for a 20% gross margin on our New Construction HomesReal #’s:Home Sales Price: $374KClosing Cost: $18,700Cost of Construction: $258KLand Cost: $30KGross Profit = $67K$67K/$374K = 17.9% Gross MarginCame slightly short of our goal of 20%Homes Values and Build Costs are constantly fluctuatingI wish we had a crystal ball build larger homes. average new build in our market is 2200 square feet, 4 beds, 3 baths, 2 car garage and sells for 515k. construction costs lower if design is good and find the median or average home sale price and push that up. my guess is you built too small. 347k is cheap. we target 429-479k price range in columbus ohio for single family homes and also only purchase close to urban core where premiums are 20% higher and we build smaller like 1500 sq ft where price per square foot goes up. 

Focus on finding and underwriting deals. 

I started as a real estate investor in Philly, but was disappointed with the GC's a subs I was finding.