"House hacking" will allow me to pay down my VA home loan so I can refi and use the benefits again.

If you are going to work with them in their time of need then both parties need to benefit and win together on the upside.How much you work with a tenant depends on location.

This is an issue for ANYONE dealing with a property for monetary gains over $500.Keep in mind that in the early 2000's Texas set the precedent in the Stachybotrys "black mold" liability/lawsuit push. 

I would like to use it as a way to gain capital, familiarize myself with the area and build my buyer/seller list through networking. 

I mean, is there some kind of investing or buying/selling process that civilians can do or benefit from that an agent couldn't?

Just trying to weight the long term benefits vs. short term.

Is a LLC IRA a better choice for me, and what benefits or disadvantages will it be for me?

Learn everything you possibly can about that part of the process and gain the knowledge and confidence you need.

As a real estate agent, you may be eligible for a Solo 401k that would offer many benefits and likely save you quite a bit of money over your current structure in the long run.

Just to gain education, I'm taking online real estate classes while my wife is taking in class courses.