This way you get more traffic and it creates a little healthy competition.

You have reserves put aside which is excellent, the VA is no money down, and the income produced by the other 3 units will give you supplemental income while you establish yourself. 

My friend who always had a dog of that breed used a thick carpet that was padded, like one uses in a shower, when her dogs aged and lost bladder function and they produced enough urine to flood that.Can your flooring withstand this?

I put a small downpayment in and took a private loan (for the 25% ownership) from them that I'm paying back w/ interest and somehow we structured it to count as income for them produced by this same property...

As far as health, I'm healthy enough and plan to seek health care in a country where it is cheap when the time comes or even getting citizenship in another country and getting health care completely free?  

Seriously though in order to scale your going to have to take risk that involves debt .you just need to keep a healthy ratio of income and debt to keep above water  

In rent it produces 3,000 dollars a month. 

If we use $10K invested per property (20% of the lower of the OP price range) and a 10% S&P return (approximate lifetime rate of return of the S&P) would produce by $60K. 

The route I chose was newer build properties that would appeal to everyone, especIally working professionals desiring somewhere nicer than any non-student apartments.Seeing consistent rent growth with those in addition to healthy appreciation due to location in the path of growth.

That said it's still a healthy market but for those investors looking for two to three year ago prices (and I include myself there) we're going to need to readjust expectations.