Discusshttps://wtop.com/dc/2020/01/dc-lawmaker-hopes-bill-will-protect-affordable-housing-and-increase-tenant-protections/

Section 8 adds a standardized lease, annual inspection and a subsidy to enable the prospect to afford your rental.You and Tenant sign your lease and the S8 lease. 

Or more, beacuse it’s more affordable then buying a home.  

Even with "rent stabilization", rents are still increasing faster than wages in these markets; ergo, the voters will eventually require their lap dogs....err, I mean representatives to pass new laws to make housing "affordable". 

Good schools also make your property sticky, in that people don't want to leave if the rental gives them a chance to send their kids to school in an area where they cannot afford to buy a home.Some other things to consider - what I call "anchors."  

@Kevin Moore house hacking the first deal is by far the best way to start because you get your personal finances in order (save dat money), you get to learn to be a landlord with training wheels, you get to use a lower down-payment and preserve cash, you have more intimate knowledge of what's going on at your building, you can buy in a higher value area because you can afford more, and tons of other benefits discussed ad nauseam on Bigger Pockets. 

But for this scenario, I have a partner with capital and can afford to invest in a market with more demand.Again, this pertains to rental properties of any kind, and the goal is to simply just make a positive NOI.

(On-base housing and food can suck, but it's way more affordable than the alternatives!

... Other than hard money. A lot of people I've heard on the podcast do hard money, and as a newbie + not purchasing homes in deplorable condition, I'm wondering how to pay less. I'm doing math, and PMI Is really suck...

The houses there are affordable for me.