So there you have it, the emotional value to you (taxes aside) of having a home mortgage paid off is $226/month.  

Hi Keziah, I am local Realtor in Monterey.I'm also a Veteran, and know about VA loans.As a buyer you would not incur any fees for the sale process; the seller will pay the commissions.PM me, and I would be happy to answer any questions.Greg

Also, I know I shouldn't let my emotions affect my investment decision, these are all very old houses and I can't help but think that every time I turn around I will have to deal with repairs of the roof, flooring, stairs, driveway, furnance, so on and so forth non stop.  

-I am in the process of acquiring a high-quality software that allows virtual staging from real photographs of a room/property.

Not emotional - just as an investment.

My opinion on tenants being untruthful is that if they are lying in the application process, they probably will try to be sneaky or deceitful when they become your tenants also.

Our current tenant (selected by our current property management and we didnt get a chance to choose) has not been paying rent for few months now and we are now going through a long eviction process.  

This guy just cant wait to start eviction process.....i can feel it.    

Given that this is my first investment property (outside of my primary residence), I'm looking to start small to get some experience with the process and taking on the role of landlord.  

After purchasing a tax lien home from an auction in Texas, what is the process for acquiring the deed?