@Orane JacobsWhen thinking about venturing into a new market for house hacking using a VA Loan, it's important to look at various factors like the cost of housing, how much demand there is for rentals, the job market, economic conditions, how fast the population is growing, what amenities are available, and the resources for managing properties.

That's all that's important.

the fed is the second most important now.what is important what market wants lolif we follow fed, today mortgage should be like 8%, but it is not, it is 6.5 and 5.5 is already available for 5/1 arm.  

A couple of very important factors are:Location - you want a community that has attractive amenities ( ex.

It's now produces about $450/mo in cash flow after all expenses, not including debt paydown.

Most importantly, they are often in areas that have less complex barriers to clear title for resale.Just my long 0.02

I've included an example below to help illustrate this.So different lenders have different rates (which do vary even for DSCR loans) but these are factors they all consider.See example below:DSCR < 1Principal + Interest = $1,700Taxes = $350, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $50Total PITIA = $2200Rent = $2000DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2000/2200 = 0.91Since the DSCR is 0.91, we know the expenses are greater than the income of the property.DSCR >1Principal + Interest = $1,500Taxes = $250, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $25Total PITIA = $1875 Rent = $2300DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2300/1875 = 1.23DSCR lenders generally let you vest either individually or as an LLC.

What Zillow is good for is you can search for sold comps, including what has sold off market.

As your income grows, consider expanding your portfolio further to include other asset classes or real estate markets.Maximize Retirement Accounts: If you haven't already, consider contributing to retirement accounts like a 401(k) or IRA.

What's most important to you @Michael Furey for making a decision like this?