Oh, and all those "Army Rooms" that soldiers have in all their homes? 

I am also active duty Army and love to work with other members of the military on their PCS or transition out of the military, or to help them understand the power of real estate investing.

Finding C/B class properties, that meet the 1% rule, and don't require an army of contractors to remodel is challenging.

You just need to learn Self Storage.Every person should want to be a Doctor, Dentist, Lawyer, Engineer or Indian Chief. 

I'm also planning to use the VA loan which has it's pros and cons but I feel is the best option initially, and a way to get the most out of my time in the Army. 

My top 3 are Goodwill, Salvation Army and antique/thrift stores.

In CA, if you call around, common loans for multifamily are 25% down, 30yr am (on MF, 20-25yr am on other CRE), 1.25 DSCR, a 5/1 ARM is often due in 10 years, with resets from 5-10 years and 3/2/1% prepayment penalties for first 3 years.

Not all, but some property managers do both traditional property manager work an have an in-house rehab/construction arm. I

Quick background: I've been in the Army for a year and a half and will be for the next 12 years before I have the opportunity to get out.

I'm on the back end of my career and should be retiring from the Army in a couple of years.