To me anyway, but I know nothing about Houston.Maybe a good question to ask yourself is if you sold your primary residence and someone offered you: a.) something close to a fair market price, b.) wanted you to owner finance with a 4% rate, and c.) wanted you to hold the paper at 4% in a (likely) rising-rate environment...what would you say?

We are starting the journey on our first rental property and it will be out of state so we want to have a property management company while we ease into landlording.

That why it's not a direct market to them and they may feel more at ease answering your message.

It is your broker that sets the environment in their office, go meet with different brokers and you can start getting a feel for their office and management style.

I use Ease Property Management and I have been happy with them.

You are right for any house built before 1978 78 federal law requires me to disclose any known lead issue and provide a pamphlet which can be found following EPA site: https://www.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-lead-your-homeHowever any llandlord renting a property built before 1950 in Maryland mustmeet three requirements before renting to you: • Register the property and pay a $30 fee annually to the MarylandDepartment of the Environment. • Give you the pamphlets “Lead Poisoning Prevention Program:Notice of Tenant’s Rights” and “Protect Your Family FromLead in Your Home.” • Perform Full Risk Reduction Measures (lead hazard treatments)in the property and get a Risk Reduction Certificate, and giveyou a copy of the certificate before you move in.

Now buying rentals will be safer than flips in a rising interest rate environment, but I don't think you can wrong with flip if you're super economical on budget (i.e. labor) and/or using more cash than debt. 

I write my own contracts, do all the work, a purist, idealistic, not the way to make millions( unless I write book 😊)My heart is to the trades guys who really do the physical workAnd not Paint pictures of ease, and high level language that gets them all pumped, with no grounding!

Under the final Guideline, federally regulated financial institutions must establish and adhere to appropriate LTV ratio limits that are reflective of risk and are updated as housing markets and the economic environment evolve.OSFI is placing restrictions on certain lending arrangements that are designed, or appear designed to circumvent LTV limits.

I'm not in any way affiliated with this event or its sponsors but wanted to post just in case this event is of interest to others.http://realsymposium.org/7th Annual REAL Symposium – February 8th, 2018Join California’s leading real estate professionals at the 2018 REAL Symposium to hear a leading climate change scholar discuss the dramatic changes in environment regulation under the current administration and potential impacts.