I'd purchase a second home and fulfill the loan requirement for stays etc.

If you’re not using a PM (I’d suggest getting one.) then I wonder if there aren’t business that specialize in moving out tenants.

I'd recommend:BiggerPockets Podcasts (cover a lot of real estate investing - but STRs come up a lot)https://open.spotify.com/show/23JyccHPmQ8fzmpmnvQ6hR?

I'd take the best parts of Houston over any other city in Texas, but I'd put the average areas in Austin over any in Texas. 

If you mean where to cash out and draw from, again I'd say regular assets.

I'd make sure you can get financing (eg are approved for that amount) and then if you're willing to take the risk of not being able to pull all of the money out that you expected and the numbers still work, then try it.

I'd put ARV safely at 225-275 for what this size home is going for in the area overall. 

By trialing these softwares for a given region before committing to one you can make a direct comparison on data quality.If you are just starting out, then I'd recommend to go free first and extract leads directly from public and/or county websites.

although you dont want to let those systems get into a failure mode you would have a supreme problem.

I hope you have had some luck finding information you need.You will find it difficult to find properties in the $100 - $200K range; but yes, they will generally cashflow, although the 2% rule does not work well in the Reno area.