Even here where housing is relatively cheap.

Are they looking for tax benefits? 

My wife was also in the military so i can relate to your situation. we ended up having to owner occ our forst 4 plex under my Va loan for a year then we applied for an additional Loan for another 4 plex using her Va loan, which we currently occupy.

The IRS is just concerned with passive rental income, which is offset by related expenses.The property may or may not be in an LLC.

@Pennie HeathIf you're looking into hanging your license just to do personal deals, you should interview local companies about being an investor and minimizing your fees or commission splits with the office.On a related note, you'll have to pay dues to the local board of realtors to gain access to the MLS.

Is there any tax benefits to listing your LLC as property management company for your own rental properties?...

Your education has also prepared you to analyze cycles and this point in the market is not an easy entry for passive investors not willing to be a small part of a much larger endeavor.In your case I'd be looking to real estate more as a tax hedge that will build substantial cash flow over time while delivering substantial depreciation and tax benefits from day one. 

is there adjacent land plots that you could acquire from the city to add pads, utilities relatively easy? 

The main benefit for VA over an FHA loan is 0% down required and you don’t pay monthly mortgage insurance, which can add up to quite a bit in the long run.

Roth IRAs cannot be transferred to Solo 401k plans.A few other Solo 401k benefits: Compared to an IRA, Solo 401k contributions limits are roughly ten times higher.There is no custodial requirement for the 401k.You don't need the additional expense and administration of an LLC to have checkbook control.There is a built in-Roth component whereas IRAs are either traditional or Roth, not both.A spouse can also participate in the same Solo 401k plan.The Solo 401k has additional tax benefits over an IRA when investing into real estate using leverage.