@Jamison Haussman Welcome to BP it's a great site to learn more about RE investing.If you are moving overseas in 1 month you can't really utilize your VA home loan guarantee if you need to occupy it within 90-days.Would you be considering buying a rental near your mom's house or another location?

My utility bill has been high and a while ago i went under my house and the duct system had holes and tears all over..

I don't want to outsource to a PM company until I have to and I've heard of everything from utilizing handyman services on a retainer to giving the tenant a list of recommended service companies...how do YOU do it?

If your intention is to simply use it for a single property and never utilize a partner and never bring in another member to the LLC then an operating agreement may not be critical.  

I let them know that I will likely have some questions on their numbers but after I do an initial analysis, if the deal still looks attractive I would request to view a few of the units in the property and do a general walk through of the exterior, utility areas and common areas.

Your utilities number looks low - $200/month for cable, wifi, heat, electric, water???

Also, for someone like you it might be good to try to utilize your ability to get a VA loan and put no money down to be able to free up capital.  

For example, the property may have only one meter for utilities like gas and electric.

We don't really utilize forums as we should, but thought we would try something new for this one.

Was stationed in SoCal, Okinawa, and deployed to the Philippines.An odd combo of a gym rat and a bit of a nerd.Compete in amateur strongman competitions.As far as my goals go this is copied from my profile.Task 1: Debt freeCurrently, I'm on the cusp of accomplishing my first task on this road and for me that is 100% debt free.Task 2: 6 month emergency fundMy primary occupation ebbs and flows so an emergency fund is going to be key for my financial safety and health.Task 3: Save up roughly 30kUtilizing the VA for the purchase of my first property means I won’t need a down payment but having money to invest and fix up that first property will go a long way to speeding up my success.Task 4: Buy and renovate my first multifamily property (BRRRR)My first property is up and running and providing positive cash flow.Task 5: Expand to 3 properties within 5 years still utilizing BRRRRGet those properties up and running smoothly and make them highly desirable.