Now if I remodel the kitchen, bathrooms, doors, windows and some other stuff I could probably rent it out for $650-$700, increasing my cash flow, specially when I move out.

There are people still moving to TN, which will continue to push pricing up, and while most of the country has seen rents either flatten or go down, most of these markets have done pretty good.Problem is in the short term it may  cause an affordability problem, especially in the smaller markets that don't have enough building.

I initially paid out of pocket for most of the interior updates / rehab costs when the family moved in, but now it could use new roof shingles (which we've got estimates on) and some minor updates in the kitchen and garage.

Looking forward to hearing from you 

What percentage of monthly mortgage payment needs to be covered to be a smart move? 

I'm originally from San Francisco and settled on Columbus, OH back in 2021 as my main market before moving here to focus on it full-time.

Dang, i was really looking forward to buying his course.

I plan on using the VA loan first, then within the 12-18 months move and acquire another property.

As a separate option, why don't you look into moving your retirement account(s) into a self directed IRA account (SDIRA) ? 

What would happen if I bought a house and moved in, rented the rooms out, then quit my job a few weeks later and used my self employment income to cover remaining mortgage payments and my bills?