Sorry to hear about your experience!

Ill keep you posted on my experience with them.

The point being - outside of being in a really bad part of town, our experience has been that appreciation will come to all who own real estate (in an up market).  

Any one have any previous experience with this?

That seems like my best option as of now, but it seems hard to ask them for funding before I even have a deal or any experience.  

These markets can provide more stable rental income even with higher interest rates.Creative Financing: Explore creative financing options such as seller financing, private money lenders, or partnerships to reduce the amount of cash you need to invest upfront and improve cash flow.It's also good to conduct thorough market research, analyze rental comps, vacancy rates, and property management costs to ensure that the property will cash flow effectively.

I don't know your level of STR experience, but having some would be a big help.

I'm wondering if anybody has experience with sectioning off half of the closet and locking it?

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Also, a state law went into effect putting a cap on "non-exempt" properties tax increase at 20%: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/valuing-pro...