I suppose some of my reservations stem from trying to mitigate the downside risk as much as possible, considering it'll be my first foray into real estate, and there will be a little more room for error by minimizing expenses before the units are rented. 

Since your out of pocket with the VA program is minimal, these properties will get you much better loan paydown over time.

This will just minimize the time and effort involved with opening and managing another account.

You are giving your large asset (a house) to someone you've never met, with minimal if any down payment, ad no verification of identity.

The issue for them is time.So partnering on deals is a great way to overcome the minimal capital investment.

As a novice whom may have minimal construction experience, having a knowledgeable professional on your team seems like a no brainer. 

The only thing I could find on that is through Facebook marketplace, but there are very minimal posts in any given area compared to traditional renting (which makes sense).

This will command good rents, attract great tenants, increase the length of stay, minimize your turnover costs (the cash-flow killer) and greatly increase the likelihood of holding longterm.

I went to college on a ROTC Scholarship, took on minimal debt, got my degree, and I've used that degree in every job I've had since.

Which means that fixing will be minimal.