Depends on how much cash you have ready and how much credit or private money you have access to. 

Are there any restrictions or implications to renting out property using a VA Loan?

Your library should give you access to a bunch of audiobooks too which has helped me a ton.

Are you restricted to the Greenville area only?  

I'm listing an older gulf access home in SE Cape Coral and it's booked solid with seasonal renters and its pretty dated, clean but older (actually my age, 49 :).

So while you might accumulate equity (hopefully) with principal pay down not much accessible cash flow coming in.  

Too many restrictions. 

You may also have trouble getting access for an appraisal.

I understand why many are saying to consider a self-directed Roth for the investment, but also in retirement your goals change as you may need access to funds for general life expenses.

The good news is you have lots of options to access this information yourself, and you can take steps to correct any errors you find.Once you are confident your credit report is where it needs to be, you can explore financing options, like traditional lending, hard money loans, and private financial backers.