You simply have capital deployed, expenses and earnings, and the difference between expenses and earnings is your return on investment.There are two flavors of self-directed IRA plans.Accounts held by a custodian as trustee function much like a brokerage, but with a different business model.

I grew up in the Harker Heights/Killeen area and my parents still live there and I think that Killeen and Harker Heights are going to be the main hubs for appealing to the military crowd; they can be consistent long-term renters depending on their deployments, rank, etc..

I've got some funds I'm looking to deploy into rental properties.  

A buddy closed 242 units while deployed.

If you can better deploy your capital then do.  

Have been in the Air Force for almost seven years and currently deployed till the middle of April.

As with anything its balance.It can kind of be hard to sift through the advice or comments you hear since they all represent many different view points.The main advantage of having funds ready via lines of credit is control and flexibility to acquire a deal quickly when a deal presents itself.As an example I'll use mostly permanent loans but I'll also have a few 2nd position lines of credit and some 1st position lines of credit to make sure I can deploy capital quickly if needed.

@Taylor Patterson I would recommend you buy in a less deployable base.

I have lived in Uptown, Dallas for the past 3 years and am acquainted with and familiar with the part of the city around Uptown.I will have 30k to deploy and I was wondering if anyone could advise me on how best to source a  buy and hold deal and what to look for.

As you said, having cash is a great tool but it comes with great responsibility and great disciple to make sure it is deployed into the right deal.