What condition is the house in, what is the rent, how many bedrooms and bathrooms, how is the school system, how safe is the neighborhood, etc. 

Chris, you’re OLD school,  save, invest, profit, reinvest.  

Maybe in your school district, houses are selling for more because of a better school, or vice versa.

From all my landlord schooling I knew in my gut that wasn’t the right thing to do, so here we are.Any advice appreciated - thanks.

long story short, I will be starting grad school next year and will not be able to work while in school for the next three years.

I graduated High school only a couple of months ago.

Focus in on a city with good schools, low crime, and good jobs.

So, it’s important to do your research—check the developer’s reputation, consider proximity to jobs and schools, and look into any tax incentives.

I live fairly frugally, and my student loans from med school are low as I qualified for lots of scholarships and have a great repayment plan.

Using a VA loan for a second property, where I’d move in and rent out my current home.When I made an offer on a fixer-upper (I didn’t win that bid), the loan officer mentioned it might be difficult to convince the underwriter why I’d need another VA loan for a second property in the same area, especially since the new home is almost identical to my current one (same size, age, school district, etc.).