I currently do have a credit card strictly for building credit.

I was strictly talking about my cash flow year to year.

@Abdul Azeez, I think that the problem is that you are stacking the deck against yourself trying to do all of these things on your first deal:1) Purchasing the property from an online auction site / bank, which is notoriously tricky even for the experienced investor, due to their proprietary contracts and minimal due diligence period and strict deadlines.2) Working with a new contractor that you haven't used before, or seen their work before, and who may not be used to dealing with investors.3) Trying to get conventional financing on a property that has a short closing time and where the mechanical systems cannot be tested.4) Working on your first deal by yourself instead of partnering with a local investor who can guide you along, or at least a mentor who you can turn to with questions.My advice is to make it easier on yourself by considering buying a property with a standard contract and longer due diligence period, network with local investors who can provide you contractor contacts and also some guidance, and consider using private financing or hard money instead of bank financing.In my opinion, buying from the online auction sites is a more advanced strategy that you can use once you are able to ballpark construction costs yourself and/or you have a trusted contractor you've worked with before and/or you have private financing or hard money set up so you can close fast and/or you can purchase the property without interior access and hope to get lucky in terms of condition (but still buy at a price where you are comfortable doing a full rehab if necessary without losing much money) and/or you are familiar with agreement of sale contracts and closings in your state so you can assess the risks of using the bank's seller-friendly contract.You're already doing the right things by asking questions on this forum, and taking action.  

With that said, these days, when looking for a property strictly to rent out, I am excluding homes with a pool.

Nothing wrong with the concept but not strictly the business portion of what we are into.I would never invest in SFHs due to the higher risk, higher maintenance, and lower monthly return but I have always held true to the concept of "income investing" and I have done very well by it.

My advice is to keep your tenant/landlord relationship strictly as-is. 

It is true that VA has a bit more of a strict criteria when financing loans, but when working with an experienced Realtor and mortgage Banker you should be able to get through the deal relatively smoothly.

Maybe it would be better to keep our relationship strictly as a mentor/mentee(is that a word?).

I know you cannot occupy a HML flip, they are very strict about that. 

There is no strict guideline for reserves.