In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

I have no experience in those countries but I do in South Africa with there VAT. 

I have it narrowed down to two agents, one has more general experience in the area and are part of a large organization.  

On the other hand, I’m hesitant to simply pay down more of a property, as we don’t need the immediate cash flow.Fortunately, both my wife’s job and mine are recession-proof, which allows us to be a bit more aggressive with our investments.I’d really appreciate advice from investors who have experience with frequent moves or military service.

You'll most likely still need a coborrower at first, but may be able to refi them out of the deal in a year or two once you have qualifying experience and operating history - then you can likely use all of the rental income towards your gross income. 

@Mitch ProvostFrom my experience of working with over 400 investors, your property near Texas A&M in College Station/Bryan has strong investment potential due to the consistent demand for student housing driven by steady enrollment growth.

I'm interested in the VB/VA and OK City markets (lots of family in OK now), but then again, I don't have much experience analyzing markets. 

If you can get a single family home and have roommates, that's the most approachable strategy and will really allow you to know rather quickly if you hate managing rentals or not.Here's my experience starting at 22, and what I regretted from house hacking: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/922/topics/1133476-hous... 

The fact that you have already owned and sold a rental property gives you a great experience to start from.In terms of the best place to invest - that is whatever place meets your criteria, goals and investing style.Personally flips have not been working as well for me lately, but when we get the right BRRRR deal those are still working well.

Focus on smaller single-family homes, condos with low HOA fees, or multi-family properties in these regions, and build a reliable local team of agents, property managers, and other professionals to ensure a smooth investing experience.