I will be living in this property for at least a year to house hack, and to get acclimated with being a real estate investor, as well as being an investor.

Then folks who are hanging out in the kitchen or living room on the main floor would have the choice of using either the upstairs shared bath or the downstairs shared bath.Are you certain there's no way to create a half-bath on the main floor?

We'd be willing to house-hack to get a deal, but we have two not so well-behaved dogs, so I can't imagine living in a home where their barking would disrupt others.

She is with Long & Foster and they used to be held just a couple minutes from where I live. 

I get great tax write offs, I live off the cash flow and I invest because I love the process and the challenges of finding great off market properties.Your mileage may vary.

Personally, I think the best thing you can do with a VA loan is to buy a 4 plex because if you play your numbers right (rental income vs. mortgage) you should be able to live rent-free at the very least and potentially cash flow right out of the gate.

and other than "buy low, sell high",  and "disclose the living sh*t out of everything you do", I really don't know of many other rules. 

I'm looking at doing a house hack for the first property, using my VA loan to buy a 2-4 unit multi family while living in one unit for a year.

Hello,I live in Vegas and am looking to invest out of state.

The rental side (we’re living in the other side but may be moving soon) also has a through-wall cooler that also does not work.