Although we made a little (~$5,500), it was pure stress and we learned never to compromise on certain issues.

Am I wrong in assuming that this is fundamentally a better situation than borrowing and buying a house by yourself?

They won't be local to you but with Skype and scanners these days, it is more important you get an expert in real estate and someone you can call day or night with questions and who will work with you to create the best tax benefit for your individual situation.  

However, it is important to find the right level of leverage for your given risk tolerance and financial situation.

This creates a WIN-WIN Situation and gives the Realtor incentive, to work harder on your behalf. 

Cap rate , CoC are all only good as your inputs and relevancy to your situation.

Hi Darryl L, I'm in a similar situation, but not abroad.  

Buildium is too expensive for your situation and Excel gets too messy. 

Kinda different situations if you pay off the loan for the people and if you buy the loan from the lender.

We would be asking for $~385k (market price of the house)Do you see any other ways for us to be able to do this if you were in our situation?