On most small MF that get listed for sale, the owner lost interest years ago and management attention is in a steady decline until something triggers the sale.

After a couple of years of treading the path to frugality to build this financial runway, I've networked with the greatest people who made this all happen, of course, it took the strength, determination, time, etc to place myself where I am today but, without the mentorship of my two great mentors whom I wish used BiggerPockets so I can mention, I don't believe I would have made it thus far relying on some whimsical dream that this will all pan out accordingly, thank you for everything Greg and Lashawn.In addition, I would like to thank Bigger Pockets for connecting me with the greatest realtor @Stephen Schmitt Who took my dreams and aspirations to the core when we first connected and spoke about my future goals to replace my W2 job for financial freedom. within three months of me deciding to pull the trigger and get pre-approved, we found this killer cash-cow that apprised over purchase price!!! 

Found my deal on Zillow, ran the numbers, pulled the trigger and flew into town to do some of the work myself with the help of some family with experience fixing houses.

I still tried to reason with her to see if we could repair this, but she hired a personal injury lawyer (who happens to be a cleaning client of her) to start emailing me demanding I give her $125,000 for her 1/2 of the business, or else they are going to file a lawsuit.

Pick one, but pull the trigger.

The $450K will be returned to me as payback of my loan to the intermediary, without trigger any capital gain taxes, right?

Key Steps Before ProceedingContact the Loan Servicer: They will guide you through the assumption process and confirm whether an entity can participate.Consult an Attorney: If you’re considering title transfers or joint ventures, an attorney familiar with VA loans can help you navigate potential risks.Understand Due-On-Sale Clauses: Ensure any post-assumption changes comply with the loan terms to avoid triggering repayment demands.Final ThoughtsVA loans are a unique and valuable financing tool, but the program’s focus on personal borrowers makes entity-based assumptions unlikely.

For Q1, I want to get out of analysis paralysis, pick a market and pull the trigger on my first STR. 

My business partner and I just opened up our property managment company in the Chicago/Chicagoland area and it is not easy to do this the "right way".Honestly you can get yourself into some serious trouble if something happened with a tenant, an injury, anything and they sue and find out you don't have a license.

Local investor meetups are also a great place to find a mentor and just talk to other investors in your market.It can be pretty scary buying your first deal, but at some point you need to pull the trigger if investing is truly what you want to do.