I was also in the military, deploying to Central and South America.

I've made my career in raising private capital and deploying it unleveraged into C class rental properties and recently for the last 3 years into Mobile Home Parks.   

I trade options (selling covered calls and naked puts) on a few bellweathers that I own or either want to own, but I have gotten burned bad twice chasing individual stocks (Dot.com and then oil collapse) so I just deploy my funny money to trying to pick.

If I choose to only deploy 20k, this is roughly 5k in taxes at my tax bracket over three years.

Your monthly payments may increase but you'll have all your cash ready to deploy into deals. 

I'm not, but i do have some investors within my network ready to deploy some capital.

Actually closed on this house while on a deployment (Active Duty USMC) and had to go through all the hoops of purchasing the home digitally and via a Power of Attorney.

I would say just sit tight unless you can deploy the cash from the HELOC.

I lived in that property for about 2 years before being called up for deployment with the Army Reserves.

I am a currently deployed U.S.