Can I use my VA home loan to purchase a rental property?

[Gonzalo Diaz]

Hello BP community, my name is Gonzalo and I'm currently an active duty Marine with 4 months left on contract. My goal for when I EAS is to own rental properties and I plan on starting small with a single family home. I don't know anybody at the moment who invests in real estate who once served and I have a lot of questions regarding if I'm able to use my benefits (i.e. VA home loan, business loan, etc.) to purchase and own rental properties. I heard there's some catches like how I can't use my VA home loan to purchase a rental property unless I live in it first for a year then rent it out but I'm not entirely sure if that is true or not. I also heard that if I'm set up as a business I'd be able to use the business loan to cover the downpayment for the rental property I buy, but again I'm not sure if that's entirely correct. Another question I have is if I'm able to purchase a property I plan to flip with the VA home loan. Any guidance or assistance would be greatly appreciated.