One requirement for this loan product is that the rehab must be completed by a licensed and insured contractor approved by the lender.

It’s awesome to see your excitement @Joe —this journey can truly be life-changing.As someone who started out while serving in the military, here’s some advice I wish I had early on: take action, even if it’s small.

Curious if any General Contractors have recently originated commercial general liability insurance and build units that are sold as Condo/PUD's.

I was a SWO for 8 years, and the best thing I did to improve my financial life was real estate investing. 

Any referrals or recommendations for good and qualified brokers, sellers, property management companies, loan brokers, insurance brokers, mortgage brokers, contractors, etc.

I would generally say no if you don't have a property unless you're looking for peace of mind knowing that you've set your financial life properly. 

So your super basic P&L may look like: $30,000 Rents-$3,000 insurance expense -$9,000 interest-$3,000 taxes-$8,000 operating expenses-$14,000 depreciation ----------------$7,000 loss on paper for the year  so negative taxable income But remember- $14k of that (depreciation) was something we didn't actually spend money on- so cash in bank at year end would be $7,000. 

However, I think some upcoming life changes may be the right opportunity for me to dip my toes in the water in real estate investing.I live in Pflugerville, TX (25 minutes from downtown Austin) and will soon be moving to Portland, OR, for my dream job.

Welcome @Andrae S WigginsThere are REI opportunities in different markets - markets in the Midwest and Southeast of the country are great - where not only are the purchase prices reasonable for most RE investors, but the homes are turnkey (new builds or completely rehabbed homes, tenant ready, systems 10 years of life remaining on them, property management teams in place) with appreciating home value AND appreciating rent. 

It will depend on your preferences and how well you think you will tolerate having a room mate as you approach a new life with your partner.