@Marita Jojo, clearly I don't know this specific deal to confirm or deny any of your assumptions.  

She specifically does a lot of STRs, so I believe she's the go-to in the area.As for Fredericksburg itself, I agree with @Evan Tuuk.

Quote from @Sonia Vanegas: You both screwed up by failing to be specific.

Any advise on how to start/where to look? 

Price points are low when acquiring real estate but that also comes with lower rental market values for your units so it pretty much evens itself out.With that, if you are going to buy in Reading I advise you strongly consider managing your own properties.

However, consider calling the VA’s regional loan center or speaking with a VA-approved lender who can interpret the rules in a more specific scenario tailored for you.

If you need eyes and ears or want an opinion on a specific property, I am always happy to assist. 

@Matthew Mclean It's totally your call but my advise is to read the contract that they'll make you sign.

I saw someone post in a group who I think is a schmuck brag about hitting a specific figure for their training and I just shook my head - like wow - this person is a great sales person and just steals the same lines from the business book about working hard and throwing out some slick slogans - but man oh man - when real estate gets hard people move to being a guru - just look at FB ads right now - many are not funds anymore but how to raise money, how to do X.

Some good questions for him to ask each potential company are:- how long have you been in business- what is your fee (be specific on the number of properties involved and if it's forward, reverse, etc)- where is your operations staff located (ie where will be funds be)- what type of account will my funds be held in?