Once you are permitted to live off base that would be my first approach to real estate investing.

It takes time.Here a few Tips:ADS - Fine-tune your approach and search for the "right" person/partner by placing an ad on a regular basis here on Bigger Pockets.

There is a Realtor Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation that some Realtors earn. 

Or perhaps there is another approach to this?

I definitely would have my own insurance though.If you have any thoughts on what a broker would find valuable, or best approach with them, that would be helpful.  

Our company uses this as one approach to get an estimate for rent.

I have a military relocation professional designation so I am comfortable dealing with unique military situations. 

Provided you use a minimum down payment and qualify for a owner occupied mortgage this would be the ideal approach.

Depreciation is a deduction against passive income (Sch E), and it is never "written off against ordinary gains" (which is not a correct expression either way).Here is the IRS Publication 527 link.Dealing with HOA is not my area of expertise, but I suggest to approach them nicely.

.- Logo designed and color palette chosen for consistency and professional look- Facebook and Instagram biz pages put in place- I am a graphics designer and created templates for coming soon, new listing, etc online ads using chosen color scheme- Website created (no IDX due to no money :-) )- Door knocking on 100 doors and left flyers I designed.