Foreclosure offer (I would occupy, rent rooms, rental property down the line)

[Nathan Thompson]

I'm currently looking for a house to buy that I can occupy and rent out the additional rooms. I'm buying with a VA loan and have been looking at some short sales and foreclosures in the area. Couple questions I have...

Does buying with a VA loan make the process much more difficult?
Will I need to get an inspection before I make an offer? I know with the VA loan the inspection requirements are a bit tighter.
I've seen mixed opinions on this, but how much should I offer to be taken seriously? If I offered 85% or so of the listing price on a home 25 days on the market, would that be looked at?
Any questions I should be asking my real estate agent that are important?

This would be my first home, so I'm not sure what exactly to ask.

The property I'm looking at is listed at $113k, with 3br (I can rent out 2 of them for $1000 a month), and there's a $90 HOA, on a townhouse.