I'm from Leesburg, and I can tell you—multi-family is a solid choice (piggybacking the previous comments which I agree 💯), especially with that live-in/rent-out, house hack strategy.

to your point, if you save up so that you're in a strong financial position, house hack a solid duplex in a decent neighborhood, make smart decisions, and hold it indefinitely, you'll be fine.conversely, if you have $0 and somehow start out with a risky flip, or borrow $20K and spend it all on a magic mentoring program, or buy a terrible property in a neighborhood you've never been to, you may not be fine.

The contract was a simple 3 page one and I wrote this in.Also, it is a single family being rented as a rooming house (which is technically not legal here).

A conforming loan refers to a type of mortgage that that aligns with the criteria set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

End of that relationship came when owner called us and expected us to go pick up their guy, who's truck broke down, and drive him to the house - and didn't want to pay us anything for this!

Will rent for 1750/month.Capex items needed soon: roof, water heater, furnaceArea: A area, appreciation is at about 5% a year but average home price is ~$500K so this home will appreciate faster, this will have multiple offers on itDeal #2 - mixed use, small office with a 3 bedroom and a 1 bedroom over it.Ask: 325KCurrently fully rented on one year leases, bringing in 4775/month but only one tenant pays their own utilities plus owner is responsible for snow removal and landscaping. 

I'm curious of the current market demand for student housing and appeal to rental investors.

Your realtor will be able to give you a much more detailed market specific answer but with house hacking and a VA loan it should be possible to get 0 out of pocket.

I have some in-house laborers for any large projects but sometimes value add can even be raising rents to market or finding an off market gem. 

You might also consider house hacking or a local deal first to get some hands-on experience before managing remotely.