not going to lie, some houses don't even get bid on...

The numbers don't lie.  

I agree that it seems tricky to invest while serving on active duty on 1-3 year assignments; my suggestions would be mainly geared toward someone who has gotten out and is investing as a veteran.Wendell, that is amazing and inspiring; however, I must say that 'creative real estate investing' sounds a little scary and risky, not gonna lie.

Lie and say you have a great property.

Never confuse the two.The numbers ($$$$$) don't lie...never argue with them...you'll lose every time.Oh, and rationalization leading to fudging your numbers is negotiating against yourself.

There lies the difficulty as time is your number one enemy and why it is so important to buy right in the high end market to avoid getting killed when things go bad (and they will if you do enough of them).

If you intend to not bother finding your own Buyer/s, you are effectively (read: actually) lying to the Seller by using the above marketing approach.

Do not lie to a lender, or deceive them, it's a federal matter.Also, a duplex is a single family dwelling (1-4 units) multi-family is 5 units or more.

Never smart to lie.

Also, if you've got that sort of money lying around, why isn't it already being put to work, for better than 7%, per your point 2) "vs. where my money is tied up (as compared to purchasing cash-flowing rentals utilizing leverage)"?