Investment Group LLC - Getting Financing

[David Alyea]

I want to form an LLC solely under my name, and I've got 3 partners who wish to invest in buying real estate. We will get 4 houses, so each of us effectively owns 1 house. Each house will be held in title under the name of the LLC. I will conduct all finding, buying, accounting, property management, etc. for the houses. Collectively, the 4 partners will come up with the 20% down + closing costs to get each house and then split all expenses equally.

My concern is, how do I get financing for houses under this setup? The LLC can't really apply since it doesn't have a job (!) or assets per se. I could have each partner be responsible for getting financing, but that seems messy and defeats the purpose of just having investors contribute to the LLC. Any ideas how to handle this scenario?

Thanks!