You have the ability to sell while limiting your capital gains tax because you lived in 2 of the last 5 years. 

@Fabio CattolicoFrom my experience, balancing career growth, cost of living, and real estate goals is a smart move.

I live in Farmington Hills.

Another idea for housing economy if you have an office is to rig your office to live in but not sleep in. 

Lenders will want a letter from your employer that states you are allowed to work remote from where you currently live and that this move will not affect your income. 

I'd level up with a BRRRR, live-in flip, or house-hack before jumping into a challenging renovation.

Does USAA know that you are living in it?

I would love to hear any suggestions about where I should look to live in the area. 

As for the areas to target, my goal in getting our feet wet as real estate investors--and since we plan to be living in Sac--is to find a property we can live in while renting out one or more units to help cover our housing expenses, which we can then hold and continue to rent out when we move.

I have lived in the US for about 10 years.