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.  

One solution could be a Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) loan.

See if you can do an SBA loan at 10% versus a commercial loan at 25% downpayment.As far as investors:3. 

Hawaiian real estate law differs from other western states significantly, mostly due to its monarchal heritage and the Bishop Trust influence.The basics are the same as would be in California; determine the condition of title ownership (individual(s), estate (including conservatorship, if appropriate) OR fiduciary acting for trust.Use a qualified private money equity lender to make a loan sufficient to buy out the cash-only beneficiaryThe legal community in HI and Big Island in particular is small.

I suppose I could combine the two ideas and live in a basement while renting out a 2 bedroom home to a traveling agency. 

Or in your case, maybe even change classes of property and use what's known as a consolidation exchange to combine the sales into a larger asset like a multi-family or commercial property.

I funded this with US cash, as well as a loan with a Canadian bank.I have shared this process with many friends and other real estate buddies that commended my journey.

Use all of the proceeds and take a smaller loan initially. 

Consider multi-family properties, cash flow properties, FHA loans, and online tools.

Starting with a smaller property or a few fix-and-flip projects can help you build equity, gain credibility with lenders, and better understand the process before scaling up.Securing funding for larger projects can be challenging without prior experience, but options like hard money loans might be worth exploring.