For my wife and I the key frugality has been:-we drive inexpensive cars (Yaris, Escape, both older and used)-RARELY eat out at restaurants-one vacation per year- and it's camping within a day's drive from home (and we already have the gear)-small affordable home (bought in 2012 at the bottom of the market- that was just lucky timing)-0 use of credit cards-and hard work to boost earnings That last one isn't so much frugality- but has been the biggest key to saving for us.

@Grant Steiner - If you're planning to rent it for a year or two before moving and getting your own residence the most important things will be making sure you have signed leases and that you are properly reporting everything on your taxes.

Do everything by the book, and in the case when you are faced with a lawsuit, use a good liability policy as a first line of defense, and your LLC that you have properly structured and documented  as the second.

The envelope will contain half a dozen descriptive flyers for my houses, business cards, and several nice metal pens that say "Furnished houses in Coffeyville Kansas.

You should be able to locate an excel spreadsheet in the proper format. 

It's in a good location in Houston which is what I'm banking on, but my dilemma is should I just findi a credit card to complete the renovations on (3-5k) or sell it and cut ties now.

I wouldn't shy away from the deal.. just realized you would have to give proper notice of non-renewal to that apartment and you also let sec 8 know the lease is not going to be renewed. 

Communicate to the sellers that you're willing to perform, but they need to either properly remediate the issue or lower the price.I know you're looking for people who have specifically negotiated this with a bank as seller.  

But if she isn't familiar with that market - and I'm certainly not - then she may not have any idea how to properly market it. 

It doesn’t really matter.....assuming the mtg foreclosing was Recorded before the tax lien was, the IRS has 120 days from the sale, or from receiving proper notice of the foreclose didn’t serve them, to redeem (pay you back your purchase price.