And when you sell it if you meet the primary residence requirements the profit is tax free.It is possible in many instances to own successful rental real estate that generates real dollars in your pocket but operates at a loss for tax purposes. 

This will be my first property and the options I have to use are:- VA home loan, use as my primary and then after about a year turn it into a rental. - Investment 25% down, but this would probably cap me at about $250,000.Wife and I are both ok with living in the property first or even house hacking if needed.

You want to break down your preference in regard to sale price, down payment, program, (SFR/MFH), seasoning is important, and the two R's you want to pay most attention to is the Renovate and Refinance.Most investors make the mistake on the renovate or refinance and sometimes both.You also have to figure out if your buying as a Primary or investment because if you buy as a primary you always refinance before you rent. 

I’m a real estate pro so material participation isn’t an issue, but the majority of my clients are in the $300k-$900k/yr gross household income range and so using STRs is not only the best way to get great ROI on real estate nowadays but the tax benefits are the primary driver for most including myself.  

If so, is there a limit to how long we must hold the home as an investment property before we can move in and convert it to a primary?

I will be taking out a mortgage, but I won’t be putting 20% down and declaring it an income property, however, it will still be my primary residence.

From the research that I’ve done on FHA, if you live in it as your primary residence (“it” being single family or small multi family units (1-4 units)) you would be able to qualify.

This means you must be feeding other people—such as prospective clients, business associates, or future potential clients—for the primary purpose of benefiting your business.If you do own a business and you are buying meals for these purposes, only the cost of the food and beverages is deductible.

@Patrick Drury Currently with just primary and 1 investment property out of state, I am finding it hard to keep track of these URLs, I didn't opt for Escrow for taxes since I want that to be in my control, so I invest them in other forms.  

For an investment property you'll need 20-25% for the down payment vs 5% for a primary residence.