@Steven Segal - We have hardwood for all our rentals so can't help you with the vinyl plank question.  

They have wide plank vinyl (especially the darker solid colors) that look like wood.

If you can do some sweat equity like repainting or replacing carpet with laminate/luxury vinyl planks you could boost the value and desire ability for a couple thousand dollars. 5 gallons of paint is like $120 and covers several rooms.

I am a believer in having a license (I'm a broker and have been investing since 2000).You must be careful when assigning a property that you don't engage in brokerage activity by improperly advertising your assignments. 

I'm just starting to browse the forums and engage in conversations.  

You might also want to engage an attorney or skip tracing company to find everything the owner and/or broker of the company owns to see if you can legally file claims of interest or liens against them.

Congrats on your decision to move forward in real estate investing and at the same time, help out veterans, a noble cause.Stay active on the site and engage the community, it will return positive results if you stick with it.

Engaging and building relationships with their relocation and housing departments could produce a long term source of renters outside of your DIY online ads.

Hi Ricardo, I'm the Community Engagement Specialist here at BiggerPockets. 

Or did you find land, then engage a builder to go for it?