As has already been alluded too, I believe they overbuilt apartments near Baylor and now have more supply then demand.

So, supply and demand would make rent prices go up. 

We do not supply them for this very reasonIt is a lose / lose.

Simpson is a company that supplies the connectors for structural work, so maybe the contractor is quoting you the retrofit using their products? 

Sure a PA can require a Seller to notify/supply the Buyer with copies of city notices, etc.

I got some answers for you,#1 just buy the materials yourself, meet and maintain relationships with salesmans at supply houses.

Operating account for administrative stuff like signs or supplies. 

https://www.har.com/content/newsroom/Houston Real Estate Highlights in April: Single-family home sales rose 7.8 percent year-over-year, with 7,586 units sold, marking the third consecutive month of positive sales and the biggest volume increase of 2019;On a year-to-date basis, single-family home sales are 2.2 percent ahead of 2018’s record pace;Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes edged up from 56 to 57 days;Total property sales increased 7.8 percent, with 9,063 units sold;Total dollar volume jumped 9.6 percent to about $2.7 billion;The single-family home median price rose 2.1 percent to $245,000, achieving an April high;The single-family home average price was up 1.9 percent to an April high of $310,676 – the second highest average of all time;Single-family homes months of inventory reached a 4.0-months supply, up from 3.5 months last April and the most plentiful level since September 2018.

I currently work full time at Ashley Furniture selling furniture and managing people.

Are rentals in short supply there or are there plenty of units available?