He might  consider  selling to you and saving some funds in his  bank and  using a reverse mortgage to  purchase the proeprty .   2)  for your side -if you need to keep the down payment low - using the  VA loan is a great idea ...already having a VA loan outstanding you might have an issue  using another VA loan . 

You can find this at either low-end antique stores, or high end thrift stores.

and that return might be low depending on other investments available to you.you can definitely call lenders and start looking at properties and running numbers though. 

Many hard money lenders are hesitant to provide loans solely for land acquisition, and conventional loans have been somewhat limiting, especially for land deals.What is best strategies for raising private funds.

Can you legitimately purchase multiple properties with this kind of funding during a short period of time? 

The properties are cash flowing with a low entry cost to purchasing the property.

The cost of entry is low, and cash flow is high.

This is why you must evaluate properties not strictly off intrinsic #s like people did in low rate era.

The music hasn't yet started again - high rates, low inventory,  high prices and seller expectations. 

My strategy for REI has been to build a portfolio directly purchasing and leasing real estate but at some point start to transition my funds into private lending others' opportunities and getting away from being the actual owner and manager of properties.