First Fourplex

[Pedro Plencher]

Hi everyone, I'm a military veteran and I have yet to do my first real estate deal. I really want to purchase a fourplex to get my feet wet. My plan is to get a VA loan so I have zero down payment, live in one of the units, and rent out the other three. Since I am a newbie there are some questions I have about this. For instance, how much cash should I have in reserve? Is it better to go through a real estate agent or for sale by owner? Should I start with a duplex rather than a fourplex? I know this might be a lot of questions for one post, but I do appreciate all the feedback, thank you!