I live in an area where rent appreciate quite a bit so it will always make money long term. 

Find someone who manages long-term rentals in that area.

There are a ton of great neighborhoods in the greater Sacramento area, where you will see solid rents and good long term appreciation.

Quote from @Peter Firehock: Introduction:Well you've certainly put together a long and comprehensive analysis.   

Typically, VA interest rates are better than other loan options of similar terms.

@Austin Green we currently live in Franklin (short term)!

If you're worried about finding tenants, focus on a location with strong rental demand, list rooms on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Furnished Finder, and consider mid-term or short-term rentals if long-term tenants are hard to find.Good luck!

Some people love that as the initial numbers look good, but probably over the long term they get tired of the common issues landlords face.It's not that hard typically to find a move in ready property, or even to find one that needs minor repairs, where you can capture the equity yourself vs the person selling it to you. 

Passive income is certainly the name of the game - building a real estate portfolio and creating generational wealth are key ingredients to long term holistic financial health and success.There are fantastic real estate investment opportunities in various markets, particularly in the Midwest and Southeast of the country. 

Not good I think its a good tool for fix and flip and short term holds but not for long term holds if you have not ability to refi or enough equity to sell quickly even if you do and the sellers loan gets called they are still going to get their credit trashed. .