Turnkey vs Distressed Properties with a time-intensive schedule?

[Alex Griffith]

So when you buy a property, the longer it is vacant for rehabs, the more money that comes out of your pocket to pay for the mortgage. 

So if I were in the military, (not yet, but planning for when I graduate college) would purchasing distressed properties really be the best move? In The Book on Rental Property Investing, Brandon makes it obvious that distressed properties yield better values and can get you a lot more equity, a lot quicker because of forced appreciation.

But from what I'm told about officer life, I won't really have time for much of real estate. I'll make time to analyze deals, but is it unrealistic to say I will be able to manage rehabs as well? I'm not talking about flooring and paint, I mean more in-depth rehabs where you can really build value.

Would it be a better idea to BRRRR with turnkey properties, if possible? Not sure how that would work since from what I understand most of the available equity for the refinance comes after the rehab from forced appreciation, but David's BRRR book is next on my reading list so hopefully he mentions it.

TL;DR: On a really busy and unpredictable schedule, should a newbie still aim for distressed properties, or turn to turnkey/properties in really good shape?

[Joseph Crunkilton]

@Alex Griffith

For your first investment, it's all about how much risk you're comfortable with. An active investment could go smoothly, but based on your experience it could also eat up a lot of your time. 

For me, I wanted my first deal to be low risk and affordable. This brought me to @Zach Lemaster over at Rent to Retirement. They provide renovated rentals in markets that maximize cash flow and appreciation. What I got was a great property with a tenant, and good returns. 

The confidence from my first deal has helped me move into more active investing. I'd recommend checking them out and seeing what they can do for you.