Yes the DC area has the largest concentration of federal employees, but we have a very diversified economy here.

D-/F is the active gang presence, chrome rimmed cars driving around constantly area.

(The student could still be on parent(s)' car insurance and healthcare plans.) 

Maybe the house has a pool or a two car garage vs. one.  

The overall economy is strong and likely to get stronger as some key Latin American countries recover from their crisis, mainly Brazil actually.

Here's a few websites I've been using to research the market:http://www.houston.org/economy/https://www.recenter.tamu.edu/data/housing-activityhttps://www.har.com/content/mls

With a single family home having one vacancy means your investment is a total dud.Other benefits of commercial include no cap on the amount of financing you can obtain (residential mortgages cap at 10) and economies of scale.

Each property will be different, economies change and so do policies and politics, and you must do your due diligence before making a decision.

There are services out there you can pay for but the best way is by getting out of the car.

That's a very low price considering where we are in the current real estate economy.