In Houston proper, I got good returns from a SFH in Independence Heights, but also felt like I needed my AK any time I went to check on the property, so YMMV.

If you believe that the pool is located inside the footprint of any possible future structure or addition, it would be wise to go through the local building department and get it demo’ed and re-compacted properly.

All that being said, I think for a scenario like this in which you were interested in putting in a offer,  I would not rely on the 50% rule to determine expenses and do a line by line item expense analysis based on historicals (from a T12 provided by owner) and the "proper" expense base.

So you could utilize this for your existing property, not taking on any extra payments if it is structured properly.

As well as learn about where you work and the type of lifestyle you desire to point you in the right direction when it comes to towns to focus on.

Do any consulting services exist that teach you how to properly flip homes?

Kenny, the step of building your contractor team is a vert important one and many fail to properly do so.

I've gone through other threads on this forum about the legal ramifications of dealing with pre-foreclosures in MD without the proper certifications, and I was curious about MD regulations for marketing.

As mentioned by others, if it has already been rehabbed properly then it should not be as much risk, I have seen new construction that was not built nearly as well as older homes, so each house is a unique situation. 

@Drew Sygit maybe you misread or I didn’t properly explained.. surely I know Section 8 bares no responsibility while the tenant is gone, I was stating while she was still occupying the home, Section 8 cut off payments.Update: It was a mess but ultimately she was removed within the last month.