Traditional 15 year How did you add value to the deal?

Traditional bank financing, my wife worked at a bank at the time and was able to get favorable financing.

Be sure that you highlight that "selling your house can be easier than you think" with the advantages of working directly with you instead of the more traditional route.

If you do buy a traditional house, make sure you can get rent it out with some cash-flow when you PCS.

I think the total would be around 75K of accelerated depreciation, or 25K to each of us (we use K-1s).The same three of us also own a couple properties in an LLC made up of each of our SOLO401Ks, all with Traditional Contributions.

Should I just suck it up and stay in this place for a couple more years till i can save up for a traditional finance?

You might encounter some hassle with traditional lending. 

You would be surprised at the number of owner financier’s that “sell” the home for more than it’s actually worth due to a borrower unable to obtain traditional financing.Example:As is Value : $70,000UPB : $72,250Rate : 8%P&I : $671.00Note Sales Price : $67,100 or 95.8% of As-is Value for investor to get a 12% yield.Now unfortunately, that is not enough LTV to get a note investor comfortable.

What are the major differences of a traditional bank loan vs portfolio lender?

It'll be very difficult for you to qualify for any traditional financing.If family or friends ever need financial help, will you be able to step in?