If that's not possible, then house-hack a 4-bedroom house and rent the other 3 bedrooms to roommates.By doing so - you live rent-free/mortgage-free and maybe have some cash leftover - and more importantly, gain experience in landlording/ property management. 

Stay there and continue to live rent free and save money for your next deal. 

Let her live rent free but have her pay the utilities, or something like that.

You can find the occasional one for $60,000 but it normally has some baggage.Typical Fourplex $650 rent each unit $180,000+In the area where I live (rents are $700-$750) the fourplexes go for $275,000.I'm just holding on right now.

I would recommend you eat, sleep, and live real estate until you have the knowledge and confidence that people are asking you for guidance.

I’m a new transplant to the Saint Louis area.

I suggest using your VA loan on a multi family to get some landlord experience & the other renters basically pay your mortgage and you live rent free.  

. - Ideally, I would want a multi-family so that I could live rent free and continue to pay off my student loans.

I'm a recent transplant to Chicago (downtown) and am looking to get back into real estate investing, specifically fix'n'flips, and am seeking advice from seasoned veterans on the ins and outs!

I manage to live rent free with income from the two rentals, and reductions in withholdings due to increased deductions from accelerated depreciation.