- Zillow: works best in areas with minimal variation between units.  

There are other variations of producing cash flow with your VA loan I did not mention.

Not only are they highly sought after at this point in time (new construction levels at all-time lows) they can also potentially save you the headache of random repairs and unsustainable rent variations.

I have wondered about a variation of this as well.

Obviously, Unit 1 provides a higher rent income, but averaging them across the property doesn't account for the variation between the two.When it comes to pricing of an investment property, the income it generates drives the asking price. 

Some investors will use (and markets will command) 15-20 years for a roof and others get 25 (or more) years, some get 10 years out of HVAC and others get 15, 20 or even 25 years...and pay $2,500 for full replacement (inside and outside) versus twice that amount, some investors/properties/markets require structural or mechanical replacement in 20-30 years where others get way longer than that, some pay $300 to paint a full interior unit (trim and all) and others pay thousands (not cap ex but you get my point), some need to replace cabinets every 20 years, others can be painted and last twice that long (or more), some investors pay $1.00 per sqft installed for flooring and others pay 2-4x that amount...the list goes on...huge variations by asset class, market and investor.  

In the Fort Lauderdale area, more than others in the United States in general, there are HUGE variations of insurance from very little space in terms of geography.

Most DSCR Lenders will require a six-month seasoning period for cash-out refinances, but there is some variation and flexible among lenders.Average Prepayment Penalty is the "5/4/3/2/1" structure, but this can vary as well

The variation in the facade and elevations could be made more simple, but many cities including Long Beach, have code requirements for minimum facade variation.

This is really a rough outline and I've seen it done with many variations of this example and beyond.