The cost is $295 and if they don't reduce your taxes by more than $295, you get back the difference (i.e. there's 0 risk for hiring them and only upside).Seems like a win/win proposition and reviews online look solid.

Thank you everyone for your replies - it all sounds like solid advice:I understand to the professional real-estate investor this might sound like a nauseatingly safe strategy but I am a novice and admittedly would like to play safe while I learn the ins-and-outs of the industry, being a landlord, maintenance, renovation, regulations etc...

If you have a solid payment record, your lender is going to offer to renew on good terms.  

It doesn't cost you anything besides time and if you cant find a contractor anyway, time is already being wasted.

You are wasting your time trying to find an easy out in this situation.

There's actually a solid amount of multi-family inventory on the market right now, but finding a seller that will accept a VA loan on a good multi-family deal can be challenging.

Hello, I am interested in buying a small single family house in a decent neighborhood (average median house price around 450k), but the seller would want to sell the land (50x100) next to it together for an extra 100k to make a deal. hypothetically I can negotiate it a lower price for the land (any suggestion on how to determine the value for the land), what kind of investment can I make to turn the land into something profitable rather than just being wasted?

From 2011-2014 I flipped roughly 30 houses, so I have a solid background in comping properties, rehab costs, etc.

It really kicked in how much of a waste I'm making on living in rentals when I started talking to friends who have purchased, and realized their mortgage is cheaper than my rent, and they turn a profit when they sell.... 

Seems like a huge task to take on, but looks like you had a solid plan.