Hello all, My wife and I are looking to use our VA loan in the Portland and surrounding cities in Oregon.

Quote from @Daryna Misechko: Hello, my name is Daryna and I am a sophomore in high school and I have been interested in real estate for a very long time.

My focus is simple: helping out-of-state investors like you unlock the full potential of the Birmingham market.

If you are building on your own existing lot, you are sacrificing privacy for sure, but if you are comfortable with that in this stage of your life its a good way to maximize what you already have than trying to go to market and spending over $1M on a decent duplex. 

Quote from @Elijah Edwards: I am hitting a roadblock in finding deals...

find a strategy that is repeatable and duplicatable and gets your money back.

If this will be your first rental, I would probably wait a year or so after renting it before scaling into more properties, especially if you will be traveling.

Consulting with an attorney may also be helpful.

For properties under $300K, you can definitely find okay options in these areas.

I am betting your gonna find a lot more friendly amicable persons than shut doors.