(If you take BRS and then don't take the max TSP matching you are flat kicking your own tail.)If you really want to stomp retirement, take the high 3, but between your military retirement and actual retirement invest 20% of your military pension (the difference between high 3 and BRS) into an IRA (self-directed into R/E if that is 'your thing').

Should I work my tail off to build my saving prior to buying my first property?

IF So SHAME on you.. and if I was your tenant I would also PUSH back and demand 3 days rent reimbursement besides the loss of food / hotel costs / and whatever else I could think of also.Power companies just don't shut power off willy nillie and you would have received a shut off notice prior and waiting till the last cows tail to try and pay your bill is LAZY.Let them move if they want you'll have less damages and you will probably never restore their trust in you so cut your losses and move on.Lesson learned they trust you to give them basic services and you let them down. 

My intent is to either wholesale the property or to whole-tail it as quickly as possible.Thanks for your feedback!

If you are closing on the properties and reselling them, then you are flipping or whole-tailing.

Some formulas here, and calculations there, throw in a tail of a newt and here comes your number.  

If I were to cave every time a contracting client tried to reduce my final draw on a project just trying to save themselves money on the tail end of a job, I would likely not be in business.

I am at the tail end of financing a duplex, but there are no comparables.

I am at the tail end of financing a duplex, but there are no comparables.

I have arranged my investments such that the more expensive it gets, the more I make, but have also successfully hedged my bets so that if it does not get more expensive, I will still do very well ... heads I win big, tails I win small, but the house always wins and I'm the house.