Veteran on the prowl for my first deal in Tacoma, WA

[Anthony Matthews]

Hello Bigger Pockets Community! I'm A.J. and I've become obsessed with Bigger Pockets and real estate investing since I read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" on vacation in late June. I've listened to probably 40 podcasts and just finished Brandon Turner's "Intro to real estate investing" I really wish I had jumped on the investor train 5 years earlier before the Seattle market creep hit the Tacoma area side! My goal is to buy a duplex, triplex, or 4plex by the end of the year so I can stop throwing money away on rent and I cant get started in a lifetime of real estate investing. I've been scouring the One question for all of you out there, I'll be able to use the VA Loan for a house, but I also have enough saved up for a 20% down payment for a median priced home in the area (or maybe 2 down payments for below market prices). Would you all recommend starting with the VA loan on my first purchase? Or using my savings for a down payment, and the VA loan for an investment (that I'd move into) later? Thanks for all the wisdom, advice, and experiences you all have shared on here. I hope to be an official real estate investor by the end of this year and I know this community has already been a huge help!!! A.J.