VA Loan Advice: Duplex vs. Single-Family Home Near Fort Hood

[Ricard Cardichon]

Hey everyone,

Our family is getting stationed at Fort Hood (Killeen, TX), and we’re exploring options using the VA loan.

We’re stuck between two choices and trying to figure out which makes more sense financially:

Option 1: Buy a duplex where The mortgage would be about $2,500/month. One tenant would cover half, we’d cover the other half, and we’d have about $80 left over each month after everything’s paid.

Option 2: Buy a single-family home that’s cheaper, with a mortgage fully covered by BAH, and possibly end up with $200–$300 left over every month, but no rental income.

Which would you go with? Is the duplex worth it for the long-term potential, or is it better to keep things simple with a single-family home and have a little more cash left each month?

Appreciate any advice!