Help Buying "Temporary" Primary Home

[Andrew Martel]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a little help.  I'm in the Military and about to PCS (move) to the San Antonio area.  I have about 4 months until I have to head that way and would like to purchase a home there prior to my arrival. My train of thought is this... I would like to find a solid deal on a 4bd 2bth home.  Something that has some built in equity so that when I move in next 4 years I have the option to sell or rent and make some decent profit/cash flow. 

I'm very handy in the home so a house that's a little beat up doesn't scare me.  Where should I look? I initially started with foreclosure properties, but it seems like they are being listed at the same price as "normal" properties!? So then I started my search for potential short sales, and I have no clue what I'm doing here. I'm trying to find some but I don't have  a solid vector on where to look.  I've found a few, but I have zero experience with shorts and don't know how much I can offer below the listing price.

I've got a realtor who claims he's a foreclosure expert and will "find the best deal" but all he's sending me is homes listing at exactly market..

So, where do I go from here? I would like to use my VA to finance the property and have already gotten pre-qualified through a lender, so I'm good to go there. Should I seek out a wholesaler? If so how do I find these folks? Google searches don't turn up much.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated, and as always, you guys rock.  Thanks!

-Drew