Never had to rely on that provision so I can't recall all the details.

Houston might be cheaper than most cities in Cali but the market is tight so if something is just hanging out on the shelf is probably a sign.One great way to get a good feel of the property is to ask whoever selling that house to take a detailed video of the house and send it to you.

I've read Wendy Patton's book and watched her 3 day bootcamp video.

Account Closed Forward me details of properties if you have good investment property. 

Based on the facts in your post I would lean more towards purchasing a home that is in turn key condition, enjoy the equity, and tax benefits while you educate yourself on other details of real estate. 

Go to the link and be sure to watch the video .

Often I have seen out of state Investors enlist the assistance of a real estate professional who knows the area and properties and can offer their expert advice including videos pointing out both positives and negative but again not without having an inspection contingency as part of the agreement. 

We tried them as a result and they were very process oriented and detail focused. 

(Hot sure that's relevant or not....)What I'm looking for is a resource - printed preferably, as i'm not a big fan of sitting through video tutorials - that I can use to get things set up.

If you own several smaller income properties, a vacancy in one is only a fraction of your monthly income.If you feel like posting some more details of the current prop, I'd be happy to weigh in again - it might be a total winner and you'd be silly to sell it, who knows?