Being a military member house hacking is the easiest way but I’m also open to learning new methods and if at all possible learning from others’ mistakes. 

Yes you can get in without "military" involvement. 

As someone with a military background, I’ve always approached investing like a mission—know your strengths, assess the terrain, and execute strategically.For me, starting with SFHs felt like the “crawl” phase before running into multifamily.

Your background as a military pilot.  

I have tried to do a HELOC but I’ve recently retired from the military and haven’t started another W2 therefore lenders don’t want to approve the HELOC.

Opened a trailer park next to our house for military.  

The seller had a military contractor job with security clearance.

As for your neighbors, they could have exemptions like Homestead, widow, military disability and many others that can reduce the amount of taxes.

I never made more than $100k in a year working until my last year of employment, and still managed to retire at 50 with a lifetime pension from a combination of military and public service.

Good post with a few good ideas, thanks.A note about San Antonio, is that it historically has a big turnover in homes due to the military bases in the area.