You need to pull comps for what homes in a similar area, similar condition and similar size are renting for, that is what market rent should be.

Or at the very least, a good portion.

If you can find a house or duplex where rental income covers a significant portion of the mortgage, it could help you build equity while minimizing your living expenses.I'd recommend looking into first-time homebuyer programs in your area, and as always, make sure the numbers work for you.

Based on what I remember, it gets even more complicated if the 401k is from a previous employer.In your case, since Fidelity is declining the account due to the nature of the retirement funds, one option might be to consider rolling over a portion of your 401k into a self-directed IRA, which typically offers more flexibility.

I currently own 1 SFH and 6 multis of various size the largest being 8 units.

Sure that makes sense to me charge (market rent) + (utilities portion) to each unit.

@Mei Zhu We recently did a shower with tile to maximize the space because the surround that was available for the size took about 2” off per side making it really small.

Maybe a different way to go about it is evaluating the market rate for a rental of that size.  

I’m not an accountant and this isn’t legal advice but if you’re renting a portion of your property likely you can deduct something off your taxes to help offset the income from the rent.

Given your plans to use VA loans for multiple properties, it’s important to consider a few key factors when deciding on your next purchase.Since you’re already using a VA loan for the 2300 sqft home, it’s understandable to think about the size of your future properties.