Use VA or Owner Financing

[Edwin E.]

So I am recently new to the BP forum, yet I have already found it extremely helpful. So I decided to post my first question related to an investment. Currently deployed. looking to make the most of my remaining time in the military, so I want to purchase a du/ tri/ quad plex when I get back. My question is should I use my VA loan or try and find a distressed seller and offer owner financing as a way out for them? For those of you who are not aware, VA loans can be obtained by service members with 0% down on up to 4 unit properties. YET the property has to meet THEIR code of move in ready, which can become EXTREMELY nit-picky ie: if the windows have screen mounts but no screens the VA will not go to closing till the screens are replaced (ask me how I know :) So finding a multi unit foreclosure or distressed property that will be move in ready so that I can use my VA will be near impossible. So I have used a 203k Streamline loan before and that would work, except having gone through a divorce this past year and getting slammed with ALL the debt, plus splitting my retirement accounts has set me back financially..... WAY BACK. So getting a loan 203k loan that would require 3.5% down might be hard to attain. Last option is to find a distressed seller whom I can proposition to offer a certain amount down, and they carry the note. Down side I am in Afghanistan and I am not guaranteed to have internet access for the rest of my trip. So contacting a distressed seller becomes more difficult but not impossible. Any ideas would greatly be beneficial and help out. I am not in a rush, and if need be I can and will wait till I return to be able to further study the market in person, but I know there are investors here on BP that perform distance investing. I am open to any and all ideas.