You also could buy a multi-family in VA and rent out the additional spaces.Keep in mind that VA is for primary residence only.You could just go straight up investment but that is a much more expensive proposition.As for a lender, I have a lot of experience in this area.

Hi Everyone,My wife and I are looking to buy our first MFH in the Cleveland area, and I’m interested in knowing if anyone has had to deal with squatters on their properties.

This is a much higher valuation than I typically am hearing about in single family zoned areas of San Diego

Get a few of those and read them - that way you can start to get familiar with what kinds of things can happen in a house, and how big of a deal it is to fix each one of them.If there are any new houses being built in your area (like, within bike or bus/train range), and the neighborhood is relatively OK, go over to that neighborhood, after the workers have left for the day, and see what building a house looks like. 

There is definitely a market for mid term rentals in the Nashville area due to the medical hub of West end and several other large hospitals in the area.

We've had a bit of an influx of interest from out of State investors turned off by recent proposed and implemented STR regulations in some HOT investment areas in the South. 

We are a "boutique" PM. 

It is also popular (here in FL) we have a lot of people with boats and skis that want to check out our area by boat. 

I'm not looking for "get rich quick", but rather pursuing an area to allow livable income now while investing for the future.

Also, don't know if this changes anything, but I'm in the SF Bay Area.