I used to contract in dc while living in Philadelphia..

Because it was a rental BEFORE it wa your primary you don’t get 100% tax free treatment.

I recall a case where a court held that the act of having engineering plans drawn up was the first act of visible construction.A quick review of DC's lien provisions appears to show that a sub's lien rights relate back to the date of first work and the sub has up to 90 days after completion of the project to file so someone who close on a purchase of the improvement 60 days after completion may wake up to find a lien has been recorded the next day so it's not gap matter, it's a post-closing matter.

My friend @Jason Wagner has a great report that I can share with you that shares on different neighborhoods are appreciating.I personally like the South East Corridor (Washington Park, South Shore, Woodlawn, etc.) and Garfield Park. 

DM me to discussHi James, I am new to the real estate investing world and currently live in Washington State.

This happens in most major cities, such as New York, Boston, Washington DC, and many parts of California.

I’ve tried eating 1x a day for 1 year (Not healthy for me) and various water fasting protocols to eventually settling on my current lifestyle of: 1)Taking stairs daily 2)Intermittent fasting of 16 hours daily/ 3-4 Day water fasts Quarterly3)Mineral consumption daily using Fulvic Acid, Icelandic Kelp, a powdered Electrolyte to regular water, Spring Water (Minerals are ESSENTIAL to hydration) 4)Daily Fruit consumption 5)Grass Fed, Grass finished Beef 6)Minimal Fried foods (I still LOVE French fries) 7)No seed oils (only Tallow, butter and/or avocado oil) 8)Cut back on white flour and grains (Minimal breads, pastry, pasta) 9)No soda 10)No dairy (Cow’s milk is for baby calfs)11)Minimal alcohol (Maybe Vodka or Tequila RARELY) 12)At lease 7 hours of sleep daily13)No watching CNN, MSNBC, NY TImes, Washington Post, NPR or ABC, NBC, CBS…………….

I am in the exact same position and currently trying to network in Washington state.

First timer here, I live in Seattle, WA houses here are too expensive to make a mistakes for first timer, so I am considering start small from more affordable areas, like Detroit Metro Area or Cleveland, or maybe other locations more seasoned investors can recommend. 

Trail each purchase w a 10% downside stop loss limit order if you're not confident in the REIT, then continue your research on private real estate, and when you have the capital/team in place/knowledge of the local real estate market put it to work then, no rush.