prices and rates are high and there is lots of competition for deals, both on and off market. 

I see vacancy rates going up and rent going down in the next few years, along with depreciation.  

As for paying it down vs waiting-if you have enough to get a mortgage now and the down payment and the interest rates on the debt are low; then find a rental and buy it.  

The rental has quite a bit but it's at a 2.875% rate that I wouldnt trade for this deal.

Then, you generally have to pay hefty management fees, whereby your returns oftentimes end up being less that what you can get in your home country.

Great question 1)  tenant is a serial killer (or similar 2) tenant is psycho and tries to sue me personally thinking I may settle and avoid litigation fees.

As an EMD lender myself often there are late fees baked in to the agreement which mitigates the loss of return if the deal runs long. 

DC is one of the lowest cap rates in the country.If you have a long time horizon, and have patience, with the areas strong rent growth you can end up with more cash flow here than a high cap rate market.

i cover pest control and lawn care on my stuff. keeps down on issues and i know the place looks good. for my student rentals i also build in a quarterly cleaning fee where my cleaning lady comes through and does a deep clean. extra eyes on stuff and parents happily pay it to ensure their kids have a solid spot. pass through cost for me and well worth it. 

Cooper) said that the mortgage is assumable (there is path that would allow me to remove spouse from mortgage and retain the current rate), but the process can take a while, is subject to fees, and they need to reevaluate my ability to qualify for the mortgage without my spouse.