Am I in the right spot in my life to buy? (Military)

[Brendan M.]

Hey everyone!

So I've been researching real estate investing for a while now and I think could be a really good fit for me (specifically small multi-family properties/house hacking). I'm ridiculously excited to get my feet wet and start working towards my first purchase. However, I'm currently in the military at a VERY isolated location so I don't really have the opportunity to check out the local market (nor am I really interested in buying up here). That said, in April I'll be PCSing (moving) to Colorado Springs, a city I absolutely love which opens up tons of possibilities. I will also be leaving the military after this assignment so I plan on staying there.

Unfortunately it also sounds like I'll get deployed for 6 months at the beginning of July, which in and of itself I don't mind, but with that sort of delay it feels I won't really have the opportunity to start looking at properties until this time next year.

That said, would the time frame from April to end of June be enough time to effectively identify and seal the deal a property? I have no idea how long buying a property takes, but my understanding is that it can get drawn out. Obviously I wouldn't want to make a time pressured or emotional decision, and if there's nothing that cash flows properly for me then I wouldn't take the dive. I just feel like waiting an entire year is a long time, especially if I could get a head start investing before I leave. What would you do in my shoes, dip into the market if conditions looked right, or wait until next year? Thanks!