But tax wise just here to note if you buy a 4 unit as a primary when you go to sell (if you meet the requirements) only 1/4 of the gain could be excluded under the 121 primary home sale exclusion.

The US taxes global income which dramatically increases the reporting requirements.

Dodd Frank corrects this by requiring the price be supported by an appraisal or some  basis. 

And I believe they require 30-40% down. 

The cash-out refi option is just a new VA loan to pay off your current loan and the rest of your equity is cash in hand as long as at least 1 of net tangible benefit requirements is met.

Hi @Jon Pflueger to answer your questions requires more information. 

This route requires more attention as you will need to ensure that you are finding good deals wether they are on the market or off market.

I agree with the others here that say you need to have some skin in the game, if you are going to live there yourself, get an FHA loan rather than owner financing, you can get a 3.5% down loan, personally I do not love these as they require  PMI which is an additional expense, and you also need  bring additional funds for closing at least for taxes, title, attorney and transfer fees . borrowing from anyone else for the down payment, to include a personal loan from the bank is not a good idea, those again will be higher int. rate.

You would have ongoing filing requirements with the State and would need to keep business records and documentation.

The percentages are going to be up to you There are all kinds of High interest account that require all kinds of hoops to keep them.