It blows my mind that you can actually start and operate a legitimate business in the US without telling the government (not the public) the name and address of the owner.

While they mostly aren't lying, they leave out a lot of reality.Why would a government funded program like S8 pay MORE than market rents?

So in less than 20 years you have to give the building back to the government?

.: Quote from @Mike Dymski: Government actions are unpredictable and scare me the most. 

To really know if a 1031 exchange is worth it for you, you first must find out what your net gain is and subtract state and federal taxes from that.

Any other government agency?

I purchased my first home in October 2008 in Las Cruces, New Mexico after accepting a career with the federal government.

Are there other more creative ways to start cash flowing in year one Be careful because federal mortgage fraud and going to jail is a real thing.

I'm going to reiterate what's already been mentioned above, but I'm going to actually give you examples of why it's relevant to you to find a U.S. tax professional.1 - You're going to need to file U.S. taxes once you have property down here, there's federal filings, state filings, and sometimes local filings too2 - Tons of tax treaties between the U.S. and Canada that are easy to miss and can cost you a lot of money (important one with rentals - effectively connected income - if the professional you talk to doesn't know what this is, run away)3 - The amount of days you spend in the U.S. needs to be tracked and if you go over a threshold, all of your worldwide income could be taxable by the U.S.4 - Selling real property means up to 15% of your sales proceeds might not be available to you for years (FIRPTA)5 - Lots of nuance at the state and local levels, which both want to take as much money from you as possibleMain takeaway here is that you should find a U.S. based tax person.

Have also done work in DC and Maryland and would say Virginia has significant benefits over DC and Maryland because it is more business friendly and jurisdictions are willing to work with not against developers on projects I mentioned as well as you mentioned With the federal government and government contractors not going away - area is great for investment.