Buying a home for appreciation or rental

[James Haffner]

Hey everyone, 

I just recently decided on growing my knowledge on real estate and starting to use my money for investing in real estate as a vehicle for passive income and financial growth. 

My GF and I almost closed on a fourplex that was going to cash flow $430.00 a month after all the expenses. Unfortunatly many issues on the home where not disclosed. When I found out about them it was too many red flags for me, so we backed out. 

We were going to use a VA loan to finance the property, giving us an extremely high rate of return for the cash we paid.

So now that the home fell through, we're a little curious on what to do. We can't find any properties that cash flow much( which is what our goal is). So were thinking of purchasing out of our area. Somewhere with a better rent to own value, where we can cash flow easier. 

Our other option is to purchase and live in the house until were out of the military, hoping the home will increase in value. We know a lot about the area including the fact that the population is about to spike due to military squadrons moving around, and our BAH going up. But IDK if I want to depend on that? 

What would an experienced investor suggest in the situation? 

Thank you Tony H.