should i bother looking for better pre approvals?

[Tim Monistere]

hi everyone, been lurking here for awhile and decided to do my first real estate deal! i have the benefit of the VA loan and my friend that is on pretty much the same pay was given up to 350K loan with the VA loan, so i figured it would be easy for me to secure that financing and get a nice quadplex. boy was i wrong... the bank is only willing to give me a 150K loan (which is weird as i also have similiar credit to my buddy) and living in augusta georgia everything that is multifamily is very expensive and old. the cheapest duplex i could find was 180K and in disrepair, so i decided perhaps i could just buy a single family home and have roommates/ split the house/ ADU. but i can't even get quotes from local construction companies until i own the home apparently. so i don't think i can calculate the expenses until after i buy the home.

so based on the situation i'm reaching out for help on the forums. any advice is appreciated!