Noobie Stuck While Pending

[Samuel Fletcher Hardy]

Hey guys, I am just starting out and am located in Kitsap county Washington. We are currently under contract on a triplex using a VA loan. But are also looking at properties back in Alabama(where I'm from) that would cash flow well and we can afford to put a 20% down payment on easily. The rental market is good there and I have two property managers picked out as well as a contractor to do light updates and repairs.

We plan to focus our efforts back south due to the low barrier to entry and higher ROI. But still house hack here.

My problem is the triplex will take us 2 or 3 months to close due to repairs. I feel like I'm wasting time not doing anything but pre-qualifying the other properties while waiting.