If not, how did you choose that market? 

The reason people pay for these courses is to deliberately choose their social circle, and a person's social circle is the most likely factor to dictate their level of success. 

With inventory up an impressive 90.1%, buyers have plenty to choose from—making it a terrific time to shop around, consider multiple options, and find the right match without feeling pressured.Sellers, in a competitive market like this, a little patience and an eye-catching presentation are essential.

I would choose NYC "for you".

So, you can't simply trust them to handle things on your behalf and often communication is challenging especially if they choose to make it that way. 

You got an allotment on your VA loan to use how you choose so you want to work with an experienced VA lender.

A lot of investors based in markets like California and New York are choosing to purchase their investments OOS in the Midwest because of the affordability and numbers making more sense.

I work for General Dynamics Electric Boat which has decades long contracts with the US government and the turnover rate is relatively high in the company so my thoughts are if I could choose a place that is within commute distance there and within the price range of the average employee that maybe that could be a great idea but I want to know if people think that is too much of an assumption and risk to make?

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

@Scott TrenchOnly thing I can think of is He just recorded a video on YouTube that discussed a former employee of bigger pockets and had some criticisms.