Low cash flow requires larger reserves.  

I did not know of this time log requirement for STRs, so as a newbie I am going back through emails, texts, phone logs, invoices, etc. to determine how much time I spent on everything.  

I have been able to find a couple of options for this setup though, they just require separate leases for each room and sometimes 2-3 months of rental receipts as well. 

The deed transfers to the trust without triggering due on sale and that is the only item requiring recording in the process.  

I agree with the others here that say you need to have some skin in the game, if you are going to live there yourself, get an FHA loan rather than owner financing, you can get a 3.5% down loan, personally I do not love these as they require  PMI which is an additional expense, and you also need  bring additional funds for closing at least for taxes, title, attorney and transfer fees . borrowing from anyone else for the down payment, to include a personal loan from the bank is not a good idea, those again will be higher int. rate.

I did do a precursory investigation into what requirements are and it looks like there might be some zoning restrictions, as well as permits required.

Even a single family builds can vary significantly based on site conditions and required structure/design.

Capex-  make a list of all upgrades required.  

My experience has been that although I outline the requirements for tenancy in my properties, both brokers and PMs still send people who would qualify for most property owners but do not meet my outlined criteria; and then are SHOCKED when I reject them.  

In Texas, as a licensed agent, you’re generally required to use TREC-approved forms for real estate transactions unless an exception applies, like (I believe) leases longer than 1 year or where no TREC form exists.