Hello,I am new to real estate investing and have become extremely fascinated with it.

They are very difficult to find and if they are as good as you need them to be then they are going to be extremely busy. 

Even though the prices are low, what is best way to asses prices for foreign investors ?

During that time, I also had 2 mortgages that were successfully modified--but as a result my credit scores have suffered and dipped to the low 600's.

its suspect for sure.private money is just that some person you know .. not met on line .. trying to find private money on line is no more or less than internet dating.. who knows who you are meeting.any lender that wants points and super low rate is suspect on its face.. just not the real world..

I am wondering if anyone has recommendations for a good property manager with extensive experience with low income housing/section 8 tenants.

I started thinking I should refinance my coop with today's low rates  and take about $100k cash out at 3.50 % interest rate. 

He's responsive, smart, and respectful of tenants and landlords while doing his job extremely well.

(as for California and New york it seems)Our goal is to invest on rental properties (we can't flip from France) with very low expenses in a safe area.

However, they will calculate a new DTI (debit to income ratio) based on the new monthly payments from your cash out refi or HELOC loan.Some quick pros and cons about Cash out Refi vsHELOCCash out Pros-tax free money-low interest rate-no monthly payments Cash out Cons-closing costs (couple thousand)HELOC Pros-tax free -its a line of credit, hence you can use pay back then use again-usually NO closing costsHeloc Cons-higher interest rate-have to make monthly payments on money borrowedHope this helps,CB