A lot of people are drawn to the guaranteed rent money but I found it comes at a significant cost and I did not think it was worth it.

The city's growing number of people and its economy might also help raise home values and the cost to rent.Start by looking at your equity, research the rental market in Lubbock, check out properties with tools like BiggerPockets rent calculator, talk to local pros, look into money options, and choose if you want to run the place yourself or get a company to do it.

Back when I started, I saw STR investors succeed by buying any home, furnishing it with hand-me-downs and posting photos shot with a cell phone.

I have very few people, to bounce ideas with.

Hi Casey, rental income isn't as passive as many people think.

This is also why people who put properties in a LLC and self manage think they are good - well if you as the pm do something you are the pm so you get sued so you end up liable…

I would first make sure to run a detail search on property. make sure you're talking to who the owner actually is. second, I check and see how much equity the homeowner has, and if there are any lien on the property. after you gather all that, then you can have an investor friendly agent help you with drafting a contract. so, you can have a contract in hand but also a Lien on the title, to make sure you're getting paid. 

At this moment there are cities that are having an 8% growth and prices are starting to go up On the other hand there are cities in good neighborhoods but without great schools that had house prices going down.Market depends on where you are standing and what strategies works better for you.

You've found a great community of people and resources! 

So many people focus on interest rates of current vs interest rate they will pay on the next.