Take the advice from @Nathan Gesner and @Bud Gaffney and learn as much as possible BEFORE buying RE.

Get a HELOC, which is possible but more difficult to find on a rental property, and is much easier and cheaper for an owner occupied property.

I give it ten or so years before we start seeing this play out. 

Hi Y'all:I'm exploring the possibility of getting into Transactional Funding and would love to hear your experiences from both the lender and borrower perspective.

It's hard to harvest equity on these plays, unless you commit, long-term, towards very light leverage, as the only practical ways to benefit from the equity in your portfolio, if you plan to never sell it, only exchange it, for a lifetime, are to spend the cash flow, or cash out refi.

Most are going to want to lend on the rehab as it ensures the rehab to be completed,There are numerous ways to pencil it out in your favor though.It benefits to work with an experienced broker who can guide you through the process and put you into the best possible product and solution out there for you.

If I find a deal on an area I would consider living when I move back I would like to be able to pull the trigger and possibly refinance into an owner-occupier loan once I move back to the US.  

Where are you living do you have the possibility of a roommate?

This is a business purpose loan and will have a prepayment penalty and possibly cost a bit more than conventional financing.

I certainly have my bias and would love to sit down with you if you are in the Austin area or possibly a phone call.