Newbie looking to invest into first triplex/fourplex

[Chand King]

Hello, everybody

It's great to be apart of this team. As the title says, I'm a newbie in real estate and I'm looking to invest into my first Triplex/fourplex ( well first property to be exact). 

A little about me, I currently work overseas as a military contractor. I will be overseas until July/August. After this contract is up I have plans to attend Arizona State University in the fall of 2020. As of now my plans are to purchase a triplex/fourplex and house hack the property to make some cash flow and build capital for more properties. I will be funding this investment with a VA loan.

I'm eager to get into real estate but I don't want to rush into a bad deal. When I move to Arizona I would like to have the property purchased and ready for me to move into so I don't have to rent and use money that I can save for future investments. Would it be wise to just rent and take my time?