Always buy right and it makes the life of the investment a great journey. 

Owner occupant only. 3% down with PMI that drops off, unlike FHA MI which is there for the life of the loan.

I think a big part of all we do in life is mental.

If you bring any of your personal life in to this venture, it will chew you up and spit you out.

Though I've lived here most of my life.  

Start out strong building that healthy reputation and it will follow you throughout your life. 

Keeping it simple is usually best in most things in life, right?

I am 59 years old and have been around Dallas all my life.  

I've been renting for my whole life and feel it's time to put my money towards my own property but also trying to strike the balance between paying down my student loans.  

Even in very exacting jobs (e.g. space craft design), where even a small mistake is literally a mission critical life & death issue, they use 'rules' to avoid over-engineering (or to use another phrase 'analysis paralysis').The 'rules' for real estate investing are not intended to be exact or fully comprehensive.