Quote from @Chris Seveney: @Salomon W.We know someone who will fun these as long as existing rentals the loan won’t exceed 75% of cltv but I know they charge min 15% + pointsYeah, that's kinda expensive... 

You'll want to be sure to keep good records of your income and expenses to find that net profit at the end of the year.

This opens up a whole new level of asset protection, going from basic (least expense) to complicated (expensive) very quickly.  

Given your circumstances, the following advice and considerations apply:Benefit from low interest rates, no down payment required in most situations, and financing for up to four units when you take advantage of the VA loan.A thorough grasp of your budget should include the purchase price of the property as well as any possible maintenance expenses and other related expenses.

When I first started I was so overwhelmed by everything I was learning, I fell into analysis paralysis.

It tends to draw very troublesome tenants. most of em end up as crack houses with a lot of maintenance problems and expensive turns. 

They can't lie to you about this without repercussions....It may be nothing, but if it is, foundation repairs are expensive,,,!

We look at the longer term 5 years and beyond in our UW to make sure the deal will cover expenses in year 1 and create residuals after that. 

However if you only plan on owning it for 2 years it would be better not to buy any real estate because statistically speaking with the costs for taxes, expenses, mortgage interest, realtors commission, and other things that come up you won’t make any money anyway.

Typically, over the long term it is more expensive to rent the SAME property compared to buying since there is no equity in the house if you rent it.