I trust my management company but I always approve anything over $100 before they spend my money on it.  

Sorry I don't have any insight into the NoVA Section 8 market but I know the approved rents in the District are extremely high but I do have a question that will hopefully help you out as well...Does the DC Housing Authority do a market analysis on comparable rentals in the area before they agree to pay the amount listed on the website or are the rent amounts listed on the DC Housing Authority what investors are typically getting? 

They applied for an additional three months of extra rent and we just received approval for that.

Should I keep looking at deals if I come across a smoking deal do I present it to a investor or a loan officer and see if i can get pre approved, what do you guys think? 

They may only approve the tenant for 2K even if they have a voucher for 2.3K. 

As a lender, I see this as completely bait and switch unless they provided you a solid reason regarding the approval. 

Surely there is a clause in it regarding the amount of money they are permitted to spend without owner approval. 

You’ll likely want to connect with a mortgage lender to determine what you’re pre-approved for first.

Recently the ETF was approved so more larger investors are coming in soon we can assume. 

This can take months and as some have identified in this thread you need an elevation certificate (EC) done by a licensed surveyor and one that is approved by FEMA to fill out the EC's.