Buying a second home to house hack

[James Caceres]

Hi everyone, 

I want to start investing in real state and I feel like I'm in a good financial position to do it. However, I have limited knowledge and I feel like biggerpockets can steer me in the right direction.

I bought my first single-family home about 3 years ago with a VA loan in Washougal, WA. I decided to move out 2 years later and started renting by the room. My cash flow is about $670 per month and I take care of all the landlord duties. I moved to Portland, OR and I leased an apartment in a high desirable area. Ironically, my rent is higher than my mortgage and my lease is ending this December.

I'd like to buy another single-family home in Portland and house hack again. However, I'm not sure which direction I should go as far as selecting a specific loan or how much down payment I should put down. I don't want to put as much money as my first home but I also know portland (SE area) is not cheap. Would it be smart to convert my first house into a rental property? I'm a little concerned about not getting approved for a loan based on my debt-to-income ratio. Any suggestions on how I can get started?