New Investor In Eastern North Carolina - House Hacking

[Matthew Tussing]

Hello!

My name is Matthew Tussing and I recently moved to Jacksonville, NC (I'm a Marine stationed at Camp Lejuene). I'm brand new to real estate but eager to get started on my journey. I'm interested in buying a 3 bedroom single family home or townhouse to house hack in Sneads Ferry or Holly Ridge. I already have to buddies lined up to be my first tenants. 

Given rent and home prices on 3 bedrooms in the area, it seems like it would be difficult to make a solid cash flow renting out two rooms with a 0 down VA Loan. The VA Loan seems like a great option, but could it make sense for me to look for something else where I can put down some cash and find lower payments? Just trying to do a sanity check here.

Thank you!