Military members in the real estate community love to preach about how great the VA loans are for financing primary residences. They also love the fact that these primary residences can be turned into rentals, quite easily, when the military decides to station you elsewhere. This is exactly how Angel Garcia got his start; accidentally investing in real estate, all while stationed overseas.

Angel bought his first house as a way to ensure financial security for his wife and daughter, but when he was re-stationed, he decided to give landlording a go. He bought another primary residence, but once again, was forced to move, leaving him with two rental properties. He started to notice the cash flow coming in, and with some help from David Green’s Book Long-Distance Real Estate Investing, he made the jump to invest out-of-state.

He made an offer on the perfect property, a $55,000 duplex, but when his inspector wouldn’t even enter the house, he knew he may have made a mistake. This home had $40,000 in foundation damage that needed to be repaired, turning his small investment into a cash-heavy burden. Through perseverance and the ability to learn from past mistakes, Angel was able to make this rental cash flow a respectable amount and it allowed him to get even further along the path to financial freedom.