Don’t make choices from fear but from what your data and personal situation are.

Learned from this project that choice of contractors can greatly effect profitability due to time and cost.

I look forward to interacting with you all in the future, hopefully on real estate deals that are mutually beneficial.

They are indeed fortunate to have you as their landlord.I am a tenant, in Colorado, who *will* be able to, and will, pay my rent for April.I can assure you, based on the constant, ever more hopeless, dismal, conversations circulating around the neighborhood by tenants from every nearby rental property, tenants would appreciate knowing where they stand ,rather than, perhaps, even feeling they have no choice but to move themselves out, ahead of perceived legal action by  their landlord.These are reliable tenants, with *years* of paying their rent on time, quiet, respectful tenants, who, for the most part, have landlords that are newer owners, less than a year, of the property they have been renting for 8 or more years.

@Justin Jones   As others have said you have some great choices.   

On VA loans in general, I think they are a great tool and 0% down is awesome as long as its a choice. 

Would it be beneficial to go this route, or would it be wiser to go a more traditional route and simply buy a house to move into in a few years?

I don't think that choosing to purposely delay the date of which the rental is first available by choice makes it "in service" at the time of that choice. 

Those are some excellent choices for books.

Working from home during COVID has actually been beneficial in this regard, since I cut out my commute time each day, I gain more time to work on the property.