Every nation's 10-30 yr treasury bonds are a reflection of only two factors.

Closing Costs – Remember to factor in refi fees and how long you plan to hold the property to determine if refinancing will save you money overall.Since you mentioned owning the property for only a year, your equity might still be limited, impacting your options or leading to higher costs.

Furthermore, I have an additionally factor of safety of 1.4-1.6 which means I say it's capable of only 70% of what it's actually capable of.  

Then you need to add in pain in the *** factor, which for an older expensive property while you live abroad is quite high.

Use the following as a "Factor" for discussion and not as exact. 

The loan amount will typically be determined by appraisal (LTV - loan to value ratio) - but your qualification will also be based on other metrics like you mentioned - DSCR ratio, FICO and some other factors. 

I was shown about a handful of their holdings in the Houston, Memphis, and Little Rock markets, but the cash flow and CoC returns were less than $100 per month and 2-4% after factoring in additional expenses like 7% vacancy and 10% maintenance per month to go along with 20% down and conventional mortgage.

My experience indicates that solid due diligence upfront on the economics is the critical factor, the tax aspects often take care of themselves with only modest planning.

Bigger Pockets is a great place to learn and connect with fellow investors.What was the key factor that helped you make the decision to invest OOS? 

If the house is listed as-is, there won’t be much room for negotiation (ie. seller concessions/credits), but you can offer a price that factors in the rehab components.