I have 3 questions for you as I'm relatively inexperienced and definitely not familiar with either location. 

When a party related to the transaction has more than one role in the transaction or is employed by or has an ownership interest in a company that is involved in the transaction (including but not limited to third parties such as marketing companies, builder / developer, broker, or realtor), there is a non-arm's length or at-interest risk.

I’m also looking for some relatIvely local lender recommendations.

I've got a lot of other contacts for GC's, Architects, subs, permit expediters, Geo/ Soils, Zoning attorney's, ADA ramp plan engineers, structural engineers, you name it related to new construction in Philadelphia.

Usually, they will have friends or relatives that still live in the area that will show the property. 

@Alan Pederson You're correct and I agree, it would be nice to get some experience with purchasing properties with an agent but usually there's tutorials about this kind of stuff so once you buy 1 or 2 properties on the MLS with an agent, the buyer should be relatively comfortable with purchasing houses.

I have 3 questions for you as I'm relatively inexperienced and definitely not familiar with either location.From a real estate perspective only:1) Would you choose Phoenix or Houston?

When I get a colleague request from someone, most of the time, its accompanied with a message so I know first who they are, and second why they are reaching out specifically.But sometimes, I get a colleague request from a name I know nothing about... not sure if they reached out related to a forum post, or if they want to pitch me on something that I may or may not be interested in.Kind of reminds me of LinkedIn, where my approach has always been I don't connect with any random person, only those that I have either met in person, or have interacted with in some business sense.

E= Always passive income, never business related, Passive income, taxed at ordinary rates but losses can only be used against other passive income C= Short term rentals, ordinary income, taxed at ordinary rates.

Part of that is because appreciation is not a guarantee and could change at any time, even to the point where your value is actually depreciating if the market turns in your area, or in the nation as a whole.When I'm working with clients and doing financial planning with them (I'm a CFP® by day), I will always suggest running the analysis out to age 100 because while people are living longer and longer, the chances of someone living to 100 are still relatively low.