Your guess is as good as anyone else's as far as when to buy, however you can get tremendous value here now particularly if you have financing lined up.
Managing from out of the country is possible, but could prove a bit challenging if the tenants need to get in touch with you and/or you needed to check on the property to make sure if wasn't being trashed (worst case scenario).
There are plenty of reputable companies out there, but they are far and few between... as long as they are getting their %, there isn't much incentive in it for them to look over the property they way you would in person.
You might want to consider partnering with someone for a small slice of the ownership of the property in exchange for their rental expertise... that way there is a strong incentive to get great tenants and make sure the house is kept up to snuff. PM me if you are interested in learning more.
Best of luck to you.
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