VA Loan - Personal Residence to Investment Property

[Joshua Iachini]

Hey, BP Community,

I purchased a townhome in Jan '14 with my VA loan. My girlfriend and I decided to move in together a few months ago (into her place) and I made the decision to keep my townhome as an investment property. I signed a 2-year lease yesterday :)

Question: Am I obligated to do anything with my loan, like a refi? I don't think that I am because it was my primary residence when I purchased it, and I used it as such for a year. Secondly, if I am not obligated to do something with the loan, should I? The current loan is a 5/1 ARM. I only plan on holding the property for another 3-4 years before pursuing a sale, however, I think I'll be pursuing another primary residence in that timeframe and would like to use my VA benefits. I know I can have 2 VA loans open, as long as I don't exceed my total benefits, but I'm wondering if I should just refi out of my current loan so that I have max benefits/leverage when I purchase my next house.

I know there is a million variables, but wanted to hear some feedback from others who may have used a VA loan to purchase a primary residence, then ended up using it as a loan on an investment property.

Thanks!

Josh