Per Unit vs Per Door Renting

[Roberto Sembiante]

Hi guys!

My name is Rob. I am new to the real estate investment community and even newer to the bigger pockets community. I messed up in my first property and have come here to learn more than I ever could alone! There is two unit multifamily property in my area that has been on the market for 3 months. The property is in a fantastic neighborhood and is massive for the price. However being that I am going to use a VA loan on this property (still active duty), the numbers do not work out to what I would consider a good deal. 2400 mortgage before setting aside for all other expenses (including management due to constant deployments) when I could only get 2900 in rent if done per unit. However the current owner is renting it out per room making 4100 for the combined 7 rooms throughout the property. Is it a good idea to go about renting by room and what complications/rewards can this lead to?

PS. Area is next to three colleges so tenants most likely will not be hard to come by.