(Active duty military) First real estate investment

[Ronald Bredemeier]

Hello everyone, I am currently active duty military (USMC). I have 3 1/2years left on my active contract. I was really interested in real estate before I had joined. I’ve heard of other active duty members buying properties at each duty station, and then renting them out. I thought it was a good idea. That was until I got stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. Everything is really expensive here. However, I don’t want to be stagnant for 3 1/2 years, but I also don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. I can easily save $1500 per month, just to be safe we’ll say $1000. I have $4000 in that real estate savings account as of right now. My question is, should I think about investing out of state with the position that I am in? (I’m originally from Lincoln, Nebraska) Or should I try and make something happen here in Honolulu?