Bought a house with an FHA loan, if I bought down the interest rate, do I need to wait longer for rates to drop and refinance than others that did not buy down the rate? 

There would never be an issue there to stop STRs as it is a vacation resort.So, if you are looking at a condo, make sure that you do your due diligence.

For myself, I own an e-commerce business so I am self-employed.

The Riviera Maya and Cancun area for example has has an 8 to 10% capital gain per year in the last 10 years, the politics are stable  and the country's international tourism is booming.

I am an investor-friendly agent local to Rome.

And with that will come an *increase* in home prices - likely lagging behind those rate cuts over the next couple years here.You could very well wake up in 2026 and be paying far more for the same home you passed on in 2024 due to 6.25* rates.

not sure if that is an area you are interested in

Not sure if you need this but something I would recommend for you is this website.https://www.areavibes.com/Use this rating and classification system I have created over time to get an idea of the "Class" for the area - A class B class & so onHere is my rating & classification for each livability score.80 and above A+78/79 A76/77 A-74/75 B+72/73 B70/71 B-68/69 C+66/67 C64/65 C-60/63 D59 and below F Thanks Preston.

You have an interest in making sure garbage gets out of the home.

Would you recommend getting an attorney?