I have been doing rent to own here in Canada So I know the benefits and the risks but  not sure about the protocols, legal  and costs involved.However , there are few big disadvantage:1 I was hoping to use the funds for future  investments2 it is an old house  and  I am not around. which means  I often pay more for repairs  and unfortunately some contractors taking advantage of you when you are an out of town investor. sad but true. of course I can always  use property management but of course this is an extra cost.but thanks for raising those options, I guess  Ill have to see how low i need to go with the price first and then re evaluate renting /rent to own /owner financing   

What are some important facts international investors should know before investing on a US real estate; things that are different(disadvantageous) for non citizens I mean.

Many people are economically disadvantaged for different reasons.

But if the work force competition is largely based of college educated workers, then you put yourself at a disadvantage to your competitors.Your employment is like any other product in a market.

What are the major advantages/disadvantages of doing your first deal with a 5% conventional loan vs a 3.5% FHA loan?

What would be the advantages/disadvantages of doing that over a 2 year lease?

There are advantages and disadvantage with every lender, but my encouragement to all my clients is to do the math and figure out how much the loan will actually cost you when all is said and done.

4) What are the disadvantages of renting out a room?

They're usually the ones most disadvantaged in the process.

This is the disadvantage of the hired property managed portfolio - owners are blind to what is actually going on.I, like you, enjoy performing the work on the properties.