Long time no see. 

These kind of people can't think beyond the tip of their nose, they won't consider that they are ruining the house they will one day own...

Noses in books, on campus cramming for tests, writing papers, applying for rotations after graduation, likely no raging keggers, etc.  

I'm under negotiations and it's getting close but right up to the nose on the budget...

My best advice to anyone new doing this is to jump in and get your nose bloodied. 

You should have enough room in your rentals that if the market took a nose dive you'd be able to survive it.

Hold your nose when you dive in.  

Hi Germain,Long time no see, I hope all is well, sorry to hear you are moving out of state.

I'd stick to something with solid cashflow that won't take too much of a nose dive in the next dip and will give you nice returns in the mean time. 

I've been working with DC contractors for years and you're either paying through the nose for a really good contractor, or you're having to deal with issues.To find a good contractor, I suggest starting by asking all your friends and family members for recommendations of contractors that they've personally used.