There are calculators out there to help do that.There's no point in second-guessing your purchase -- it is now a learning experience!

You can find them online or second hand fairly cheap. 

A house owned for cash may under produce but it will almost never non-produce.But in order to completely avoid taxes on the boot in your 1031 why not purchase a second property as part of the 1031 using leverage. 

@Nicolle Mulvey yes second markets are great.

If you get redeployed rent the second unit.  

I hope you guys can share your experience of from the first rental property to second, third, or fourth property.

I'll second what @Hadar Orkibi said about not applying for anything that would affect your credit if planning to take a bank loan or similar.I went on a rewards credit card rampage last year and signed up and was approved for 3 of them and finally denied on my fourth attempt.

I've heard of these type of situations and the second contractor is more expensive than the first, so be prepared for the cost difference.

A second VA loan doesn't work for this duty station, unless you qualify for one of the few exceptions. 

First, I was 21 and uncomfortable spending a lot of money; secondly, it was after 9/11 and I was being sent all over the world ALOT so it didn’t make sense to have an empty house with a mortgage 6 months a year; finally, living next door to my tenants was a great way to get my feet wet as a LL.