Is it worth putting money down on a VA home loan?

[Nicholas Halterman]

I've been in the National Guard for over 6 years and was deployed. I have the VA home loan benefit right now and I am not sure if putting money down on the VA home loan would a smart move. The reason why I am asking for advice on this, is because I just now started to save for a down payment on a house and I am looking to move into my first home next year. My overall goal is to house hack the property, but at this rate, I would have to save a significant amount per month to put around $5-6k as a down payment. I was thinking of using these funds for the closing costs instead. Any advice on how to go about this the smart way? I am looking into multi-family homes primarily. Thanks!