Phoenix v. Houston with VA Loan

[Bain Craddock]

BiggerPockets Family,

I am active duty Air Force currently in Denver, CO but am about to move between December and May 2019. I bought a condo in Denver (plan to Air Bnb or rent when I move) and am looking to refinance in order to recapture my full VA loan, then buy a duplex/tri/quad in either Phoenix or Houston. I have an active duty job offer for Phoenix and a National Guard offer for Houston. I plan to House Hack the duplex/tri/quad and keep them as long term rentals with the exception of the unit I'll be living in. The VA loan covers a $450k purchase (given that you qualify...I will) with no downpayment. I have 3 questions for you as I'm relatively inexperienced and definitely not familiar with either location.

From a real estate perspective only:

1) Would you choose Phoenix or Houston? And why? I'd prefer a property that only needs cosmetic work and is located near a good part of town as well as an "attraction"- ie baseball stadium, hospital, concert venue- so I'll have the option to Air Bnb if I choose to.

2) Generally, which city has a higher profit on rentals?

3) Where would you find the deal?

4) For those of you in these areas, does 450k even cover a duplex/tri/quad?

Thank you all so much for your help!