If you want a more concrete list, some of the worst ways to spend money (in my opinion):Going to the movies, buying drinks out regularly, trendy home decor (that will soon be out of style), buying a new car, eating out regularly, impulse buys (of basically any kind, to include travel unless it's an insanely good deal), books you won't read (if you know you'll read them it's fine), anything to "keep up with the Joneses", basically anything that won't last. 

Ideally, this next house would be a more long-term home, and not a BRRRR project. 

I built the Cabinet Doors and re-framed the existing cabinets to give them a more modern feel .Parging the basement walls and applying 2 coats of drylock. 

VA loans can be mire stringent than FHA and Conventional so when you are in a competitive market, you need to make other concessions to show a more attractive offer ( more earnest for example)

Having a condo would be a more risk factor then just the the 2/1 muti family.

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by @Brandon Turneror The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.2.

Are there any good portfolio products that will cash me out (60-70% LTV), have a good rate AND a 30yr Am or is that pie in the sky?

On a more helpful note - you need to live there for 12 months.

Fix it up and gain 10% appreciation, higher rents, and a more comfortable lifestyle.It's hard to answer without knowing you or your market but I would prefer to stay away from new duplexes and instead focus on a neglected property in a really nice neighborhood and school district that you know will appreciate over the long-term. 

We are trying to see how the market works out with the Pandemic, but strangely everything up here is selling like hot cakes because many people from the Bay are moving after they realize they can work from home but live in a more pretty place.What do you think?