I also suggest looking at the actual VA loan terms on the official government website, https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/purchaseco_e... , that will get you started but you'll have to dig around in there. 

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Any suggestions would be helpful. 

I suggest that you research on your own and then look for a realtor to write the purchase contract. 

Their priorities, focus, and models of investing  might match up better with you.I loved this article today (yeah it's click bait and fluffy as all get out but it demonstrates for me the true power of real estate investing over the years) -   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/kushner-paid-no-federal-income-tax-for-years-documents-suggest/ar-BBOkaOq?

The VA home loan program requires you to plan to occupy the purchased home for a minimum of one year.I suggest you, only you, buy your first property utilizing your VA home loan entitlement. 

AS Colleen suggests you should be paying rent while living at home.

Thanks for your suggestions @ jack inman

Only you can tell if this is a good deal, and if you don't know, I would suggest you pull back and better define your retirement goals, which will influence your investing goals, which will determine your buying criteria.

Which of these upgrades are DIY and what would you suggest hiring a contractor for?