Luckily I found a lender who said I could do a conventional loan with 5% down with a program thru Freddy Mac.

I would stay away from the free seminars from fortune builders and the rest of the programs out there.

Most companies have estimating programs to calculate what they require for the Replacement Cost.   2.  

Hello Dylan:No matter if you own one rental home or 100, you should use a professional software program and I recommend QuickBooks, because it's been around a long time (and not going anywhere)  and because CPA's and Accounts prefer this program to use to help them do your taxes,  AND YES, YOU SHOULD HIRE A CPA !!  

In the event of a court action, it is helpful to have photographs or videos, witnesses, and copies of letters informing the landlord of the problem.Before the tenant withholds rent, it is a good idea to check with a legal aid organization, lawyer, housing clinic, or tenant program to help determine if rent withholding is the appropriate remedy.The basic requirements and steps for using the rent withholding remedy are:1.

Are there any programs/organisations specifically for military families in this area?

The first step is talk to lenders, several of them so you can compare there loan programs (as long as they don't ALL run your credit score because that will lower it).Now you could use your VA loan to purchase a property with a rental built in and ultimately rent out both units when you PCS.  

I will more than likely put 2.5% or so down and with the first time home buyer program in South Carolina they will give me a $5,000 grant towards the down payment.

Applied Tech.) program which sparked our interest for the real estate investment field.

I am so glad to know that there are options that I can consider with financing through other loan programs and that this is not a dead end!