Thanks for all the quick replies and messages from the NOVA folks!

If you ever have any questions on the different areas around don't hesitate to reach out, I learned a lot from asking other students/friends/co workers and real estate agents that grew up in Nova Scotia and really understood the demographics.Good luck on your house hacking journey, it will certainly pay off for you and your family!

But I can't for the life of me find anything that cashflows in a decent way in my area (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

I'm from the nova area as well and recently moved back but invest elsewhere due to the lower returns here.

We've been working the Fredericksburg and Stafford area for a long time in NOVA.

Nova would be best for your commute. 

@Michael HartpenceI'm in agreement with others here the NOVA/MD market is extremely competitive.

I'm local to Northern Virginia/NOVA but i'm open to recommendations throughout the state. 

Lending standards are better today than they were before the 2008 crash, and the DC/NOVA area is doing well with jobs.

Moe:In Ontario that is true, it is also pretty much true in Québec, Nova Scotia and {perhaps} BC and Saskatchewan, but here in New Brunswick tenancy law is fairly well balanced.