Newbie Military Guy Trying to Find Right Path

[Jeffrey Price]

Hello, Bigger Pockets team! My name is Jeff Price, and I've just started my venture into the real estate investment world. As an Air Force officer stationed in Tokyo, I'm in unique circumstances to begin my real estate career; however, I would love feedback from the community here on a couple items that can help me get started:

1. I'm fully committed to getting my real estate license, but unfortunately, I likely won't know where I'll be stationed next until mid to late June. Also, assuming I get a stateside location, I won't physically be back in the U.S. until October 2015. Are there any good resources that I can use to start getting my real estate license while in Japan? Also, am I really able to dive into obtaining a license without know which state I'll be in yet?

2. I do get some say in choosing where I'll be stationed next. Likely locations include: 

Colorado Springs, CO; San Antonio, TX; Tampa, FL; Fort Walton Beach, FL

Are any of these areas better than others for a newbie investor? I'm looking to initially buy a four-plex with my VA loan ($0 down!) to live in one unit with my wife and rent out the other three. We may be interested in house flipping down the road but not within the next year. The focus now is on cash flow investments from rental properties.

Answers to these should be a good starting point for now. It's hard to make plans when you're not fully in charge of your future, but I'm doing the best I can right now. Any help is appreciated! 

Thanks in advance,

Jeff