Anyways, 2 months later I received orders to deploy to Afghanistan and had to pay a $588 payment on that truck, about $100 a month in insurance a month, and it sat in my garage for 9 months...That money spent on that truck could have been making me money while deployed or I could have saved it...Buddy I have learned my lesson...During my tour in Afghanistan I aggressively paid off my first rental home that rents for $850.

California is very tenant (and squatter friendly), along with I believe Florida (article about a deployed service member coming back to his house and squatters having moved in a law enforcement can't kick them out).  

He's expecting me to pay additional damages for the termite infestation, claiming it was my fault the termite guy hadn't come around in the last 4-5 months (I had been on deployment-military).Any advice on the matter?

In the real world if the money is deployed it would seem hard for them to enforce refunding the money to the investor.  

Do you have $10,000 to deploy or $250,000?

Hopefully you'll have some downtime to educate yourself while you're deployed.  

@Bobby Holley  not that anyone is a superior human being... maybe more experienced.. maybe successful in their other business and have amassed cash to be deployed in other venues...

Cash has tremendous value when it can be deployed quickly in situations where you can identify equity and purchase it at a discount.  

Generally if you season a year then you can get a better refit.In order to get around this I have deployed this strategy.Buy house for Cash (mine)Rehab for cash (mine)Get it rentedCarry a Trust Deed loan for 1 year, i.e. get a private money loan that is recorded on title with the county (these loans are generally less puts to originate and a cheaper rate as it is more secure because the rent is coming in, the property is rehabbed already and I can provide an ARV)After 1 year I will do a refinance.

The VA provides guidelines for intermittent occupancy for individuals who work overseas or for soldiers who are deployed.