As a first-time buyer with a budget of 600k is New York City or NJ a better fit? 

I am going to be helping manage/run a STR in Upstate New York this summer.

However, county loan limits still apply to Veterans who have previously used, and not restored, their VA home loan entitlement to purchase, refinance, or construct a home above $144,000.Your entitlement can only be restored when the property is sold, or the loan is paid-in-full.

An assumed VA loan would plug in place of the new property purchased in this example.Also, you have a one-time option to have your VA loan eligibility restored regardless of how much you have used; normally you have to dispose of the property, meaning sell or pay-off to have it fully restored.

Nationwide Mortgage Bankers is based in New York and lends nationally. 

We currently live in New York City working as architects.

It's called a one time restoration

The owner of that property in question cannot restore his full VA entitlement until such time as the VA loan is paid off in full.Further, even if you gave him the 3.5% down on FHA, his DTI will still be hit with the payment on that VA loan, almost certainly killing his next home purchase before it even gets going.And if he gives up on homeownership, all the future potential landlords are going to see that mortgage on his credit, and likely consider him unqualified for the rental unit.Unless someone is going to write a check to pay that VA loan off in full, this is a predatory activity and the victim is the owner of the home in question, given his goals and the proposal on the table.Do the right thing.

I'm involved in the program restoring some of these properties once they have gone through the process. 

Hello friends,I've identified a piece of land in New York.