The area offers higher-end flips but comes with a higher buy-in cost.

To me a successful house hack is being able to live with your net mortgage payment being lower then it would cost you to rent the same property. 

San Antonio is known for its relatively lower cost of living compared to many other major cities in Texas.

I would ask the lender you applied with to disclose how they calculated your DTI... sometimes they fail to add back in depreciation or deduct costs from your schedule E like tenant turnover, improvements, etc. that shouldn't be included in the DTI calculation. 

When you sell the property and gain the difference between the sale price and the cost to you, that's profit.Net profit to you on a rental is the cash flow. 

I've seen a lot of Allstate rental properties with ACV or market value coverage rather than Replacement cost and other tricks to reduce coverage levels.  

Rising insurance costs are probably the number one driver right now of our overall expenses.

Social media is a game-changer for real estate investors for better or worse, but which platforms do you think are the most effective?

If it’s a safety issue, I’ll of course make sure the premises are as safe as they were before any required maintenance was done, but she is now suggesting that if I don’t reimburse her for those specific anchors, I am violating fair housing laws for familial status and/or tenants rights regarding not incurring costs for required repairs.

Your ONLY cost in a rental is the cash you come up with.