Buying first multifamily property with no money down

[Robert Hector]

Alright so I keep being told that because I’m a veteran that I can purchase up to a 4 unit property with 0 money down. I’m very excited to get into real estate and be a landlord but my main issue is income... I have no debt but I don’t have enough income to afford anything substantial. (Upwards of 200k) my yearly income is around 40k.

I want to househack but apparently I can’t use the rental income I’d get from the other 3 units because I have no prior landlord experience.

I can’t use a co-signer because they’d have to certify that they’re living in the property with me.

I have around 55k saved but it’s all in the stock market and I’d prefer to leave it alone.

I always see posts or videos about how you can buy places with no money down / just 3.5% with the FHA, but nobody ever mentions that you'd need such a high income in order to afford anything decent... Are there anyways around this? Is there something I'm missing? Or should I just give up and drop a large downpayment on my first rental property? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.