Our Austin agent is more than happy with the arrangement.

Pros:-  Makes it possible to buy property when other arrangements won’t work-  The number of people involved can change over time-  Different people involved can own different amounts of the property-  The agreement is recorded with the deed.

I arranged for my mother to buy it.

Does something like this exist or are their other arrangements that I am not aware of that are suitable. 

Do the paperwork ahead of time and arrange a time to meet your realtor to pick up the keys. 

I’m thinking and contemplating on this past year’s events and wondering what can I do different.

Whether or not you are working with another realtor, please be aware that the city is currently contemplating new STR regulations.  

You'll be dealing with real estate in some way, shape, or form for the rest of your life, so getting started early can really pay off over the decades ahead.As far as getting started in investing, I do recommend the Bigger Pockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide as a great place to start and you may also find the Bigger Pockets Podcast entertaining and informative.For finding investment deals and convincing investors to work with you on some kind of partnership arrangement, you'll need to learn (if you don't already know) how to analyze investment properties by the numbers (realistic numbers), and then when you find something that has better numbers than most of the other stuff you've seen, you'll need to communicate why it's a good investment to your investors.You may also want to find out what your investors' specific needs are, for example if someone says they usually want at least an 8% cap rate but will do 6% in XYZ areas, you'll be able to keep that in mind when you're looking around in the market.

Out of convenience, I was contemplating keeping my tenant since she pays rent on time.

Sometimes a small cash for keys arrangement could be made, just to facilitate a peaceful and timely exit and will cost less in in the long run... less  lost income and eviction expenses, than a court case would.