General Advice for a new investor

[Kyle C.]

Hello all,

I’m a new real estate investor and im looking for some general advice. I bought my first 2 family home in Nov 2024 for 350k at a 6% interest rate with the VA loan (0 money down). I currently live in one side, I’m getting 1200 from my tenant a month. I pay 2600 for the mortgage every month. 

I’m in the military and will be moving bases in the Glendale AZ area for approximately a year sometime in July. Since it’s a legit military move (life changing event), I can use my VA loan again and bypass the 1-2 year minimum time I need to live in it as my primary residence.

What I plan to do is rent the side I’m living on out for 1700 a month giving me a cash flow of 300 dollars. In AZ I want to buy a 3 bed single family in the 300-325k range, and rent the 2 extra rooms out while living there on Airbnb so I can save money.

After the year I’m going to return back to my current base (another legit military move), and use the whole house I purchased in AZ for airbnb.

When I return after the year I am either going to return to my 2 family or buy another one. The only issue is the type of loan I’m going to use.

I can use the VA loan multiple times up to 750k. Should I try to get a conventional loan with down payment assistance for my 2nd property so I can come home and use my VA loan again? Would I be able to get down payment assistance if I already own 2 properties?

If you have owned an Airbnb and managed it remotely was it do-able? Was there challenges? Was the cash flow worth it?

Side note. I don’t want to raise my multi family tenant rent too much because they’re great and don’t cause any issues. They have been renting there for a decade.

I want to take advantage of my VA loan/ down payment assistance to create a decent portfolio and create some cash flow so I can do the things I want in life.

If you were in the military or have any general advice anything is greatly appreciated.

I’m in the military and will be moving bases in the Glendale AZ area for approximately a year sometime in July. Since it’s a legit military move (life changing event), I can use my VA loan again and bypass the 1-2 year minimum time I need to live in it as my primary residence.

What I plan to do is rent the side I’m living on out for 1700 a month giving me a cash flow of 300 dollars. In AZ I want to buy a 3 bed single family in the 300-325k range, and rent the 2 extra rooms out while living there on Airbnb so I can save money.

After the year I’m going to return back to my current base (another legit military move), and use the whole house I purchased in AZ for airbnb.

When I return after the year I am either going to return to my 2 family or buy another one. The only issue is the type of loan I’m going to use.

I can use the VA loan multiple times up to 750k. Should I try to get a conventional loan with down payment assistance for my 2nd property so I can come home and use my VA loan again? Would I be able to get down payment assistance if I already own 2 properties?

If you have owned an Airbnb and managed it remotely was it do-able? Was there challenges? Was the cash flow worth it?

Side note. I don’t want to raise my multi family tenant rent too much because they’re great and don’t cause any issues. They have been renting there for a decade.

I want to take advantage of my VA loan/ down payment assistance to create a decent portfolio and create some cash flow so I can do the things I want in life.

If you were in the military or have any general advice anything is greatly appreciated.