My advice would be to drown out the noise you hear from others with positivity and thorough due diligence.

@Collin StewartSince you're PCSing to Columbia, SC, and have VA loan entitlement remaining, house hacking a small multifamily with a VA loan is a strong option since it requires zero down.

Looking forward to reviewing these options.

Speak with a lender now to understand your options and start building a plan.

Assuming they're telling the truth what are my options.

If you can make a conventional loan work, it’s likely a better option.

But with perseverance and a willingness to explore unconventional options, you can turn even the toughest situations into successes.Have any of you ever faced a deal that seemed destined to fail?

Quote from @Logan Barwick: I Am looking at getting involved in rental properties and debating on which option would be best.

When you have equity, you will always have options. 

My area is relatively low crime, but had one place that someone broke a window to get in.... probably a homeless guy looking for a place to sleep....got scared when neighbor turned light on.I put in a SimpliSafe unit... portable, easy to set up, multiple options- you can use a webcam and get alerts on your phone and future tenant can pay for full service if they want.