Novice investor interested in multifamilies

[Dakota Bernhart]

Hello, I'm completely new to real estate investing however after reading a few books and listening to weeks of podcasts I think with some hard work this is doable. I'm currently in the process of joining the Air Force meaning that soon, if all goes well, I'll have access to the VA Loan. My plan so far is to invest in a multifamily while living in one of the units for a year and renting out the others, but I'm sure as many of you know these things are easier said than done. I was wondering if anyone could help me add more substance to this plan. I'm definitely a numbers person and simply having someone to help guide me on how many houses I should acquire in a time span, what rate of return I should aim for (how to calculate said rate of return), and how to tell if a deal is even good in the first place. Any reply would help at this point.