Sometimes when a church is converted to residential the taxation may start at purchase or it could revert back to a date - that would be something to consider. 

Personally, I started in a market close to me as I wanted to do rentals so until I got my process down, I didn't want to venture too far from home.

There's a ton happening in the city and folks are finally starting to catch on.Detroit was also the fastest appreciating market in the country the other month, so it's clear folks are catching on!

We start showing rooms to prospective tenants right around a month before lease expiration.

I see a lot of unnecessary risk in investing in another country.If you still want to do it, I would start off with something on the lower end that is still nice to see how it goes for a couple of years before making a major investment out of country.I would thoroughly research all expenses such as taxes insurance, permits etc.

This would only be the 2nd tenant I've had at my first rental property, which was my family's previous home, and I really, so I really don't want to put myself at risk of having to go through legal hurdles if there's issues with her, so I'm strongly considering looking for a new tenant.

It's no guarantee but it's a good place to start.

Would I then start applying for DSCR loans?

I would personally encourage you to use debt if you are looking to wait 3 years to get started though.

My brother and I are starting to invest on the side ourselves, and from all the podcasts we've been listening to, we want to make sure we are doing things the right way to take advantage of any tax incentives.