Military & rental properties

[Cornelius Brady]

Hey all! Green investor here. 

Quick background: I've been in the Army for a year and a half and will be for the next 12 years before I have the opportunity to get out. I bought a single family home as my primary residence in San Antonio, and plan on renting it out upon leaving for my next duty station. I have two main questions:

1) I hear in the podcast and reading through the forms that knowing your market as an investor is critical. If there are any active duty military reading this, how do you go about really getting to know a market while moving every 2-3 years? Of course, advice from those not in the military is greatly appreciated as well. 

2) This one is for military - how do you go about managing rental properties when you have to deploy? I assume it would involve having a spouse who understands the needs of your portfolio and how to deal with issues when they arise. However, what if you don't have a spouse? 

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to the conversation. 

-Neil