Using the VA loan for SFH since MFH is too expensive in Bay Area.

[Kourtney McCullough]

BP,

I need some advice and I'm going to keep this short. I'm planning to use my VA Loan to purchase my first investment property which will be a SFH. Initially, I wanted to purchase a multifamily but they're too expensive here in the Bay Area. MFH have to be almost perfect to qualify for the VA Loan and the ones that qualify exceed what I'm actually qualified for. I also have zero connections here in the area to go into a MFH deal with. Therefore, I've decided to go the SFH route to launch my REI career. My plan is to purchase a 3 or 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house, live in it for a year while renting out the other 2 of 3 rooms. Today my agent sent me some properties to look at in the Antioch and Brentwood area. I know with the BART opening up in Antioch at some point next year more people may want to live in Antioch or Brentwood and property value may rise. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated? Is this a good plan? Is Antioch or Brentwood a decent market for rentals? How can I tell if I'm in a good market? How do I know if I'm getting a good deal on my property?