I've heard similar accounts from other military friends that own property in Colorado Springs, they're seeing the positive effects of the strong market.  

Position your investments to protect them.

Im not exactly in a position to do any direct mailers because of the cost and I know driving for dollars is a great way to find properties without putting much money into it but is there anything else you would recommend?

I would not be in a position to be a problem solver or a landlord.

The 50% rule is the formula most used to initially assess a property to see if it is cash flow positive or not.

However, after spending a lot of time reading everything I could in here, I've decided to focus on MFH and try to spatter in a few SFH, if the market allows, after a couple years of positive cash flow.My goal is to pick up a duplex to begin.

Looks like you are in a great position to capitalize on the growth.

What kind of advice would you give an aspiring young investor in my position?

Hard assets will be the place to be, real estate and gold, and if you can finance RE with a modest amount of low fixed-rate debt (no more than 65% LTV to ensure staying cash flow positive in the coming carnage), then all the better.1996 21.2%1997 31.3%1998 23.4%1999 23.6%2000 -10.9%2001 -11.0%2002 -20.9%2003 31.6%2004 12.5%2005 6.4%2006 15.8%2007 5.6%2008 -37.2%2009 28.3%2010 17.2%2011 1.0%2012 16.1%6/28/13 YTD 14.0%

Having someone else in there that can't finance it until later on puts you in a position to default on your selling contract if you can't keep the financing in tact over the term of your sale.First, you need to stagger your purchase requirements so you aren't required to finance 4 at a time.