Stuck in analysis paralysis and in the military

[Christopher Heidrich]

I’ve been part of the BiggerPockets community for a while, but this is my first post. Thanks to everything I’ve learned from the podcasts, books, and this community, my wife and I currently own:

• A triplex in Maine
• A single-family rental in San Antonio
• A single-family primary residence in Las Cruces, NM, which will become a rental when we move in a few months

For context, I'm an active-duty Army officer with about 12 years left until retirement, and my wife works for a university in Boston. Our initial goal has been to buy a property every time the Army relocates me (roughly every two years) and rent it out afterward. We've utilized the VA loan for our current home, and this strategy has worked well so far. We're fortunate to have an above-average income and live well below our means.

This summer, we’ll be moving to Detroit (PCSing in August), and we’ve saved about $120,000 to invest in addition to having funds set aside for the home we’ll purchase in Detroit.

The reason I’m posting is that I’m struggling to decide how to best allocate the $120k. Our portfolio currently cash flows, but cash flow isn’t our top priority right now since we plan to use this portfolio to supplement our retirement in 12 years when I leave the Army.

My biggest challenge is committing to an out-of-state market. Being in the Army limits my ability to travel and explore markets firsthand. On the other hand, I’m hesitant to simply pay down more of a property, as we don’t need the immediate cash flow.

Fortunately, both my wife’s job and mine are recession-proof, which allows us to be a bit more aggressive with our investments.

I’d really appreciate advice from investors who have experience with frequent moves or military service. I’m not looking for a step-by-step guide, but I know I’m not the only one in this position. Any insights would be incredibly helpful!