I paid close to asking, I didn't need to negotiate, it was listed at a great price and I knew this property would be in high demand.

Most other states assess property taxes annually on the fair market value of the property whereas CA allows for this lower property tax payments compared to the FMV if the property has been held for a long time. 

Close to public transport, very family friendly, etc. 

If you are looking to take full advantage of your VA loan, see if you can find a builder to carry the construction loan  until the permanent VA loan closes.  

I haven't seen any lenders willing to do second mortgages, especially to get up to 100% (or anywhere close to it) of the purchase price for an investment property in a long, long time. 

If you jump into something before doing this - you're highly likely to get taken advantage of, or at best waste your time & money.Can't help with a coach:(Do recommend investing close to home if you can and then screen the heck out of PMCs with your expectations & goals to hire a good one.Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

They’re in an area close to Dallas but not Dallas proper.

If the pricewould have been $20k less I would have been good with just a VA loan.So depending if you're looking at a larger more expensive house, I wouldn't refi the 1st one as I'm sure your interest rate is pretty low, plus adding closing cost would add more $ being refinanced.

Close it in your personal name and transfer to the LLC post close.

They are a scam, and no longer close loans.