I myself don't have a lot of appetite for risk which is why I started investing in real estate.

You have an excellent jump start- the VA loan is such an amazing tool to get the ball rolling.

Starting looking for opportunities last Fall and so far it's been terrible.

I have started to do some door knocking, and I see what you are saying!  

New landlord here and I've been forced to start my first eviction.

Quote from @Jackson Harris: Hey Kai'ler for our STR portfolio and what our investors do is start getting it listed on Facebook/Zillow rental/Furnish Finder/etc now as a LTR for that time period you're talking about.

I'd also start the marketing process 30-45 days before current tenants move out in most cases - it just seems easier to re-let a place that is currenlty occupied than one that's been sitting empty for a while for some reason. 

It's time to start the process as everyone else mentioned above.

For your mortgage, a 30-year loan will give you lower monthly payments, which could be ideal while starting out.

I'm brand new, just getting started, so trying to get everything in order.