People often confuse the idea of a VA loan, forgetting that individual lenders can place more restrictions on the borrower, but not less.  

You look at demand for that use, usually a house will just be a house for residential use, it may well be zoned for that restricted use.

Would it be possible to use a HML to get these deals done or would that not be possible due to the restrictions on viewing and inspecting the properties?

We have a city ordinance restricting occupancy to three unrelated people, but neighbors report there are already several houses that violate this ordinance.

But if you're a first time landlord you should also take into account (as mentioned above by @Elisha Brady) that some towns have prohibitively high taxes which will severely restrict cash flow and some towns in CT are rough areas and when you analyze your numbers you might find those towns have higher vacancy, lower collection rates, and higher repairs than in other places.

I based Vegas on water restricting the supply but that hasn't stopped anything. 

If you would qualify for conventional financing why not just shop around to find a lender who doesn't sell to Fannie Mae so you don't have to worry about the restrictions from them, credit unions and smaller banks seem like a good option to start.As far as seller financing, I have not had any experience with that so someone smarter than me will have to chime in.

Not sure about the restrictions on using as office outside of personal use.

*Closing The Deal : Escrow, Attorneys, Potential Liens, CC&R's Covenants Conditions & Restrictions, Zoning, Closing coasts, Transferring Utilities, Current Tenants / Eviction Notices, Title Agents.

@Jeremy England, yep, making it sound easy is not restricted to expensive guru seminar classes.