I Used My VA Loan to Start Building a Real Estate Portfolio

When I first joined the Army, I thought of a VA loan simply as a way to buy a home. A few years later, I decided to use it to purchase a triplex, live in one unit, and rent out the other two. That decision completely changed the way I looked at real estate investing. A few things I learned along the way: 🏡 Your first home can also be your first investment. 💰 Reducing your housing expenses can free up more money to save and invest. 🔧 House hacking isn't passive. You still have tenants, maintenance, repairs, and unexpected problems. But those challenges taught me more about real estate than I could have learned from books alone. Looking back, I wish I had discovered house hacking much earlier. For those who have used a VA loan to buy a multifamily property, or are thinking about doing it, what was your biggest concern or lesson learned?