I understand where you are coming from as we always did our taxes on turbo tax as well until we purchased rental properties. 

Lots of opportunity to find mismanaged multis as well where the older mom and pop landlord has rents way below market and can come in and increase NOI just by getting units up to market rent and maybe doing some cosmetic rehabs as tenants move out.Value add multi is what I prefer and think works best here but that's with me being here boots on the ground and being more active with it.

Very excited about how well they are doing.. they are not holding but I am helping them make 250 to 400k in cash a year or more by financing thier deals for them.

I have another rental a few streets away that has done very well.

As far as meetups go, you can find a lot of local events posted here on BiggerPockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...I also have a list of Chicago meetups that I can share with you as well.

You’ve got a good list of cities already, but I’d definitely recommend adding Memphis, TN to your list for a few key reasons.First, Memphis is known for its affordable real estate.

-Management is low - you'll need at least 10% plus leasing costs - typically a month's rent for each lease-up, and sometimes a renewal fee as well-Insurance seems low-Are taxes accurate? 

Yea they would keep that in place and you'd get a second position mortgage for the rest at, well, higher than todays rates.

So I'm strongly considering adding a handful of these to my buy & hold portfolio.I understand that there's no "risk-free" method to acquiring these properties subto, but have any of you had success over the long-term acquiring properties with VA loans attached?

I think real estate is very forgiving (1) over the LONG term and (2) if you're well capitalized / in a strong financial position.