What are the first step i have to take to have a house hack?

[Kyle Reguyal]

a Little background. Im 21 years old going to be 22 this year. i landed a job which pays me around 50k before tax and lives in the chicagoland area. i have a plan on waiting for about 2 years to get approved by the VA for housing while i pay off 8k car loan and get my credit up alittle bit higher. im just wondering if theres anything else i can do the get the balls rolling in realstate investing or stick to my plan. i have very little knowledge on how to get money to finance property or get loans. any comment would be appreciated and a story of how you guys got your very first property. Love these forums and hope to hear from you guys!