Child tested very low but lead did not come from housing.

Back to finance question, would it be a better decision to take the funds from the sale of the 2 acre lot and pay off the current mortgage (~$150k) and live in the current home for a year or so (in hopes that interest rates will go down) then refinance that take out $400k from equity (~$750k) to build new house? 

is it a low ball offer if the property has been sitting on the market greater than 60 days.

TLDR; Why should an out-of-state investor buy a rental property in Austin instead of investing in stocks/index funds?

If your all-in cost to build for below market value and you are able to place quality tenants, then you should be able to leverage the completed project in a way that allows you to pull out some of your initial investment tax deferred to fund future investments while keeping the rental income and future appreciation.I am a CPA by day and advise many developers on tax strategies.

The child's father is trying to reduce his child support down to a ridiculously low amount.

My investors, who can afford it, fund their draws and then just keep the draw when it comes. 

There is government data online to see where good schools are, low crime rates, and desirable city amenities.  

As elections get closer we will likely see consumer confidence start to become more uncertain due to the political climate and then resume again after elections are finalized.ibuyers and hedge funds are also ramping up acquisitions which is further pushing demand and lack of affordability.If/when the Feds do lower rates we will see a temporary improvement in affordability, however we do expect that small window to close quickly as lower rates will bring a lot of pent up demand back into the market which will push home values higher and cause affordability to worsen.With all factors considered here in the local Las Vegas and Henderson market we are encouraging buyers to buy sooner rather than later while they can get lower prices and seller concessions and then if needed refi later when rates come down and they have more equity.

While your immediate position doesn't change, you now own a property with 200k of currently inaccessible equity.Also with your first one, if you can put down 5% or equally low, occupy it, and do a live-in flip, you may not have to refi; save up for another 5%, do it again, new primary loan, etc.