Honestly, though I feel most banks and lenders want to have performing notes and if you look good on paper, then they probably won't give you much kick back if you qualify.I hope this helps and thank you for reading! 

Second would be connecting with RE folks in your local market either in person or here on BP.I think house hacking in McDonough is a great place to start.

House hacking is how I personally got started with real estate investing and how I help the majority of my clients get their foot in the door.

@Tracy ScottScour the HOA docs for wording involving occupancy such as, "not more than three (3) persons not related by blood or marriage living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit."

Really making sure that you stay on top of that person (contractor, you, architect) on the ball by following up with the city to get that permits done in a timely fashion. 

Personally I would rather have the $260k now and invest it and get 8-9% than $100k now and get 6.75% over the next 30 years which is taxed as ordinary income...

But if you have one person who wants high end and new all the time and another who is fine with status quo, it is going to lead to problems.

@Steve BoianelliWhen getting bank loans you can get them in your personal name and then change the title to an LLC. 

I understand this may not be enough data to go off of, however I am wondering is it the VA who needs more training or do I need to call the list personally to see if the results vary? 

As expected, I had to personally guarantee the loan but it's now in my business name and reporting to my business credit.