After moving in I've discovered that the vast majority of owners are unhappy with our current property management company.

Rents are high and collecting a month or more upfront is sufficient for any problems that may occur.  

This is a vastly undeveloped market where rentals are wicked tight and County gov't wants redevelopment. 

We are capable of searching criminal background, and I feel like if we we could pull credit history somewhere that we would be fairly self sufficient without the mysmartmove site.

After nearly 40 years of real estate investing, I can assure you that this is not a sufficient catalyst to sell.

Alternatively, if you plan to occupy for 2 years, my understanding is that if you claim the rental income (even with you living there) for those 2 years, that's sufficient for the property to be considered an investment for tax purposes, which should also keep it from being a debt on your personal balance sheet when you get ready to buy house #2.

EligibilityYou must have suitable credit, sufficient income, and a valid Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to be eligible for a VA-guaranteed home loan.

If I don't have enough money to renovate the house but I have the amount to pay a house in cash, should I go ahead and buy the property or should I wait until I have sufficient money to do both. 

I'd like to go a little deeper into the property but at 7k / year, the rent I'd be collecting doesn't seem it'd be sufficient to make a deal here. 

The lending world is vastly different from where it was just a couple of years ago.Here is my recommendation.