(If I have this wrong please let me know). 

@Patrick Flanagan  I could be wrong, but I beleive that VA loans will let you purchase a property you will use as residence (which is your plan) for equal value or more if you qualify.

One could argue that all my effort was worth the deal I found... true... but I can't help to think I'm doing it wrong since my returns aren't moving my personal financial needle.

Are we doing something wrong? 

I found 3 duplexes in the last 2 weeks that I really liked. The cashflows were perfect. I put offers in and I got outbidded on all 3.  What strategies do you use to minimize the risk of being outbidded?

So their loan amount is wrong too. 

Most of the encounters were uneventful but there's a few that were close calls and could have gone very wrong!

Maybe I'm wrong :)

Without letting the insurance company know that he will be the one doing my work, I plan to utilize his expertise and know that he won't lead me in the wrong direction.

I understand this is going to be something that wont be easy however (again correct me if I am wrong) I think this may be the best option for me looking at my capital and the area that I am living.