Strategy while Active Duty Military

[Joel W.]

Hello, A little about myself. I am an Active Duty Coast Guardsman stationed in Seattle, WA, married, and father of four. Due to an ever changing life and never knowing where we will be living in the next two years I have found it quite difficult to confidently enter the multi family real estate market. I'd love to find a duplex to occupy, but it is definitely difficult in this area with the current market. Possibilities for owner occupied investments seem low due to our family size. I've settled on the reality, I will likely have to purchase a multi unit property out of state, probably Anchorage, AK, where I am from and will probably end up after military retirement, put 20% down and have it professionally managed. Is this wise? If I do this why not just find one somewhere else and have it managed? This approach is risky as I don't know much about the area, never will anywhere, and have to trust some management company with it all.

The other options are continue to hoard my cash and wait until we transfer and attempt to get stationed somewhere with a market more my size. Or set out and buy owner occupied single family homes at each station.

Thoughts?