I have several guns and dozens of hours at the range.

I understand that it is a very big range, but I want to remain open to any niche until I find the right deal.I look forward to meeting some people!

I'm guessing you're looking at rents in the $650-750 range for that price.

We are looking for something that wouldn't be more than a 20 minute bike ride to the beach around the 100k range.

Hopefully there won't be any major bust to go along with the current energy boom, granted Texas is more diverse than it was the last time, but a bust would still hurt.  

But I don't know how many times I have heard "we didn't know about the house but the beautiful landscape did it for us" or "This house was way above our price range but we got it anyways because of the landscape." so my question is, to professionally or not to design?

There's nothing like total immersion to become Baptized as a landlord IF you're willing to tackle the tasks at hand.Here's what you'll need to do in short order:Crash course on landlord/tenant laws in your stateSet up (separate) systems for marketing for target tenants, screening/vetting prospects, easy rent collection, bookkeeping, contractor/handyman management, etc.The three best educational resources I can offer:Fixer Jay Decima, of 'Tenants & Toilets' fame (lower-end), Mike Cantu for mid-range tenant management, and David Tilney for the higher end of the market.

However if you decide to join they credit it towards the membership (Which I think is in the $120 range for the year).I also am not affiliated with any of these meetings, but I will say that NEREIA is my favorite REIA right now.  

They can range in time frame, but are usually 36-60 months I think. 

NOt bad but can be risky at that price range if your stuck with themIf its 3k sq feet take 100k off your all in and your at 150 to 175k per and that is a smoking deal I would do any day of the week.. especially if you can get bank financing for your vertical with say 20% down.