Do I need to live/stay in the same area I'm investing in?

[Adam Allard]

I'm a 26 year old married man with 2 children wanting to start real estate investing. I have great credit and I'm prior military (meaning great VA home loan options and/or USAA home loan options). However, my wife is still active duty, meaning that we are constantly moving.

In fact, we're moving to CA in just a couple months but will only there for a little over a year. Then we'll be getting stationed near Baltimore, and could be there for a couple years then move somewhere else.

So, this is really my biggest concern right now buying rental properties. Would I still survive jumping into this new adventure even with a strict moving schedule for the next couple years, or would it be recommended that I hold off until our residence is a little more stable?