So depending on if you are using it personally and want to have it pay for itself or you just want cash flow will help determine where you should look and what type/size home you want to consider.Please reach out anytime and let me know if I can be of help.

If you buy in a good market, appreciation will beat cash flow every time. 

Real estate requires cash, that's why it's called in-vesting.

@Brett Coultas if you're a newbie, you want to be careful of an "investor friendly" agent selling you something they truly don't understand:(95+% of agents only know how to handle owner-occupied transactions - you can verify this by asking them calculate ROI for you or Cash-On-Cash!

I've been buying SFH's out of state all cash as long term hold rentals.  

They require all cash to buy so the people there have money.

As a private money broker, I strongly advise real estate investors to be cautious and avoid any lender that requests upfront cash payments.

Inconsistent Cash FlowUnlike traditional jobs, real estate doesn’t provide steady paychecks.

Do I wait another year to save more, or do I look into a HELOC or a VA cash-out refinance? 

I used to work in finance and we could get clients approved for a HELOC in less than 24 hours which will be much quicker than the cash out finance.