I'm continuing to learn and educate myself and willing to learn/start new strategies, if they fit into my overall goals.

Your mileage may vary.

He refused to continue the work when we challenged him.We ended up hiring another contractor to finish the job.

While not military, I have many similar circumstances, including the constraints, as an investor.Right now I am aiming to continue educating myself, but I would like, ideally, to reach out to folks in Jacksonville, FL (and other FL areas), Alabama, and Tennessee to build teams and expand my investments. 

I am out of conventional loan slots and need to continue to purchase. 

how much would it cost to begin,continue, and finish this whole process?

I'd say self manage to learn the in's and outs.Shop your PM's continuously.. bookmark and build relationships to use down the line as you plan on scaling out.Beauty is you will know what to look for when you eventually hire out..........you've done it yourselfDevils Advocate comment:How much time are you willing to allot to self manage and are you willing to handle the waves that come with it?

Ladarius I had and continue to have great success in the Hampton Roads market.

I thought I might do some brokering in the city while continuing to invest upstate.

2) Do you just avoid this problem by starting in one market and continuing to invest from afar after you PCS away from that market?