Yet SOH is here to stay and should be factored into the decision to buy a home that you can claim as your homestead vs continuing to rent one where ultimately you the tenant pay the landlord's larger and faster-growing property tax bill.Today my home would conservatively rent for $1,700 as a 3/2, and perhaps $2,100 total if split into a 2/1 and 1/1.

Add value each time and the progression can continue.

Check out the Ultimate Free Beginners Guide as well as other resources under the education tab above.

So I would like to offer a perspective that with every PCS you ought to buy a new property and continue that, so that the day you do leave you have the option to liquidate from all those states and consolidate your funds.

It sounds like non-intuitively, you are better off continuing to rent and using your funds in friendlier markets.

After my first property, I don't think I'll need to continue to use the VA loan which will then open me up to more possibilities. 

Trying to decide whether it’s a smarter move for us to buy a small house/condo in our area to house hack (and eventually rent/sell when we likely move in a few years) or continue to rent because of the very high prices in our area and invest out of state.

I hope this meet up continues that far down the line!

Please find local real estate meetups that are run by folks that are not pitching the same old products but rather focus on providing education and networking.

I try to handle the situation to avoid further issues down the road. in your instance i'll put some fans on to dry the area and continue to get a repair man.