An alternative I've considered is renting while in CS and buying an area with a lower cost of living in another part of the country, which of course wouldn't allow the VA loan to be used.

Now These areas are arguably some of the best places to raise a family in country. 

Keep in mind even if the housing community doesn't expressly prohibit the use, it doesn't mean the municipality allows it, so you should check with the municipality as well since many across the country are moving to prohibit the use.

I work with hundreds of investors from CA that prefer single family homes in the middle/southern part of the country because the price points are easier and the laws are landlord friendly.

Real estate has always been location, location, location.   I've often heard BP use the terms "Cash Flow markets" and "Appreciation markets", and they are generally referring to low-priced markets as "Cash Flow" and h...

I subscribe to The Business Journal, and they have a version of it with quality content on each of the major metros across the country.

Yes, right now Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is one of the top areas in the country for single family homes according to expert data analysis.

Even when living out of the country, I had all of my contractors lined up and everything went according to schedule.

I don’t know what the future holds for this country but it has been a great place to live, work, invest, and grow older. 

I do a pretty good amount of retail deals around the country, and just like in residential "free space in the dessert, is still free space in the dessert" meaning that while it may appear there is less demand in the business/retail world, its all down to where your retail space is.