With MWU's nursing & medical school, you may find some opportunities to rent to a more professional crowd.

Myself and a few partners (GP Team) have identified a medical office building that checks most of the boxes.

The medical pot growing tenants didn't want anyone in their house when they weren't there.

I posted on BP about the opportunity for mid-term rental growth in the Folsom market: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/925/topics/1164202-folsom-could-see-over-500-000-square-feet-of-new-doctor-s-offices-and-medical-clinics

My husband has cystic fibrosis and seizures and is on a medication that's almost $300000 a year.

A little bit about myself: I'm a newer investor, bought my first rental in Feb 2022 in the Loma Linda/ Redlands, CA area that I currently manage while working a full-time job in the medical field. 

It dosn't make him a great chef, not a pilot, I wouldn't take medical advise from him and certainly not investing advice.

You do have to think through your options, you said you wanted to take the 500k tax exemption by selling with the 5 year window.

Specifically, the areas near Wake Forest Medical School and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have attracted investors, as students are seeking rentals during residency.Favorable Tax Laws:  North Carolina boasts relatively low tax rates compared to many other states, with property taxes averaging at 0.70%, which is below the national average.

One  downside to the VA loan is having to pay for the VA  funding fee  ( unless you are  exempt  on  having to pay this ) ...if you pay 600K  and put  10K down  and  finance  the VA  funding fee - your end loan amt will likely be  > 600K ....make sure you have a loan pre approval in place  and make sure you can use antoher VA loan .