Then decide if you want to invest your time/energy once you understand the quality of the buys.    

If you do your homework and you do it well, and you come up with a value that's only $560,000 and he's asking 1.5 million, there's something odd going on.You may even want to lay out some of that math to show that you're not just trying to lowball him.Many people have unrealistic expectations of the value of their property, especially if they've been living in it for a long time or have put any of their own time and energy into improving the place.

Combining the two platforms will reduce listing duplication and data fragmentation, reduce online listing inaccuracy through ListHub's rigorous requirements, and provide more accurate metrics and measurement of online marketing across numerous websites.

Maybe it would make sense to pay to have some landscaping done to reduce the areas that need the weeding.  

Fall planting allows the plants to put their energy into developing their root systems rather than top growth.

This does not include closing costs which would increase your cash outlay and thus reduce your cash return.I'd shoot for at least 20% cash return personally.

The problem here is I will need to use a property manager, thus reducing my monthly profit.I'm interested in the FHA route, but it seems tricky since I'm unmarried but not planning to live separate from my boyfriend full-time.

Is it worth waiting a few months to see if a seller is motivated enough to sell at a reduced price or does that generally not happen much?

Houston is a very oil dependant economy and their companies are starting to have some major lay offs due to oil prices. 40% of all new jobs created since 2010 in Houston were energy related.

i agree with lonnie but let me build on that. first, your credit report is based largely upon your pay history. paying early does nothing to boost your score ,but paying late will reduce your score quickly. so, pay on time. next, CARRY A BALANCE. it will actually lower your credit score if you do not use a decent portion of your avaliable credit. also, maxing out your credit cards will also hurt your credit, it is optimal to carry between 30-50% balance of your avalible limit on your cards. do not worry about intrest as long as what you are purchasing is ultimately going to gain you more in value that the cost of the intrest. i.e. why would you worry about a 25% intrest rate if you are going to make 50% on the house you are investing in?