Another point to consider is a "Plan B" employment - areas like Washington DC, the Carolinas, Atanta, GA, and Florida have tons of contracting or consulting jobs for ex military.  

I'm doing the same, but my employers ESPP plan is similiar to NickB's but the limit only 10% of pretax income and the period is six months.  

I am a general contractor with over 10 years experience in commercial construction but working on being self employed as a builder/developer of SF custom homes.

That issue is a function of simply being farther away from urban centers which typically have more employment opportunities than rural locations.  

[yes, as I said, refinances exist]Better thread titles:Conversion of departing residence to rental.DTI, self employed 1.5 years.Is hard money necessary?

My wife and I currently maximize contributions to our employers 401K plans investing $30K per year above the amount needed for employer matches.  

Any buildable land at a reasonable cost is more than an hour away from most employment centers (each way).

Today in most situations you don't have to talk to buyers employing these strategies because regular buyers are in such abundance to do deals.

Applicants do not qualify if they do not have employment or steady income of some sort.

To purchase these homes I have been using a partner who is willing to use his credentials ie. employment history, W-2's, Income, ect. for a percent of the profits, because I am unemployed and make ends meet solely through investing.