I've been working with a really smart agent and he recommended Johnston as one of the nicer areas in RI for multi family investing.

I plan to use my VA home loan and am thinking it would be a smart idea to team up with another veteran to afford a larger (3-4 family) building instead of just getting a 1-2 family building (depending on the prices that I run across). 

The ball gets placed back in their court and they have the choice to further negotiate, say no we stand by the price you offered, or terminate the contract altogether and you get your earnest money back if they doHope that helps, had a realtor try and tell me this as well

I do and have done both and find the STRs much better, not just because of the money.Of course with STRs you are much more limited in choice of property when you are purchasing.....it is all about location, even more than traditional RE.

We also give our owners a choice between using our provider or one of their own if they don't trust ours.

Customers "pay" the expenses of all businesses but most businesses are smart enough not to rub their customers noses in it ;)   LLing seems to be one of the only business models where what your customer thinks of you  does not seem to matter. 

Obviously, I'm leaving toward the cash out refi but am wondering what all you smart people say??

I think finding a team in today's real estate market is going to be as powerful, and likely more so, than your choice of brokerage.

Just trying to decide if it’s a smart place to begin.

Smart !