There are certain types of renovations that -- because they change the fundamental demand for the property so greatly -- can easily add more value than they cost.

As @Alex Deacon said the fundamentals will never change so just know that prices have changed significantly from the 1st episode. 

Invest based on fundamentals in areas that will grow or be stable and with conservative underwriting and you'll be flying back to South Africa in first class to visit friends and family in no time. 

Just something to keep in mind.Another option, you can use FHA instead of VA as long as you meet the criteria: (7) Military Personnel Eligibility (a) Standard Borrowers who are military personnel, who cannot physically reside in a Property because they are on Active Duty, are still considered owner occupants and are eligible for maximum financing if a Family Member of the Borrower will occupy the subject Property as their Principal Residence, or the Borrower intends to occupy the subject Property upon discharge from military service.

Contacts can be found here:https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/w...

I'm definitely having some troubling times finding a property that meets the fundamental "rules" that help ween out some weaker properties.

Fundamentally though the price increases are driven largely by inventory shortage, not risky mortgage lending practices so there's no reason to expect that the next credit crisis will stem from the housing market though it will no doubt be affected. 

If so, you're likely eligible for a VA loan, which may be a good option.

@Joel Owens are syndicated deals eligible for 1031?

If you bought a place for 325k, you would have about half of your eligibility left for another VA purchase.