I am looking for some advice on if a VA loan is the right avenue to purchase or if there is a different alternative via FHA, conventional, 203k, etc. 

They have a meeting this Thursday at 9AM for people interested in alternative real estate investing strategies - including wholesaling. 

I look forward to hearing from others who invest in these markets and would also love to hear from any of you if you have suggestions or can suggest alternative markets to look into. 

@Sean Dougherty An alternative is to work out deals with the borrowers to purchase their property and lease it back to them.

Looking to speak with like-minded (passive) investors to learn how you monitor investments - Holistically, especially once it involves monitoring alternative investments.Anyone up for a chat?

If there is a better alternative would love to hear what options are available!

I would always prefer to be the only offer on the table.One thing that I will occasionally do is present multiple alternative offers.

Zillow is a very efficient data aggregator, so the market will behave accordingly and most things there will trend to the real value given all information.Where you can find an advantage is having an alternate source of information, and combining it with an efficient source like Zillow.

Maybe ask them to waive another fee or try and negotiate an alternate price.

It'll ultimately come down to your eligibility, your lender's alternatives, and your LTV comfortability.Like @Jeremy Wirths mentioned, your lender will be able to walk you through all of these options, and help you determine which you will qualify for.