She laughs that she knows "nothing" at the moment, because Navy is our primary job, but understands once we are done serving, our "job" will be real estate in some fashion.

So, consider the above and when you do find a deal, offer it up in that fashion and you many get some takers. 

Get to a place where you can get that down payment together - and do it the old fashioned way.

Closing costs do not scale up and down with loan amount in a linear fashion.

Account Closed  welcome to the site.Id recommend some old fashioned W2'd income to get you started.

You can use Everbooked and AirDNA to get high level estimates for your ADR and Occupancy rates but in the end, I usually like to supplement (especially if I'm getting serious about a property) with good old fashion legwork with calls to local property management companies and review of nearby listings on Airbnb/VRBO.  

While the deal would cash flow I lack the money for 20% down payment and lack the time to do the necessary repairs in a timely fashion.  

Could you re-state your story in a more clear fashion.

'How I Lost Money in Real Estate Before It Was Fashionable: A Cautionary Tale' by JL Collins (This book is on how you can lose money in real estate)These are some books that will help you set a basic backbone for real estate investing.

Business success is all about the marketing.Since you are in a new area I would think you would want to meet new people to build your network as you know the results you can get from referrals within your network.Consider producing a flyer or brochure and starting in logical fashion walking around the neighborhood in which you live.