How to get financing with only enough money for down payment?

[Christian Stanfield]

Hi, I am new to BP. I have been consuming as much information as possible in the last month or so trying to learn more about real estate investing. I've listened to almost all of the podcasts in that short time. What I can't really understand is how investors manage to buy rental properties while only having what seems to be enough for a down payment in their bank accounts?

On the podcasts, I hear of new investors having a couple thousand dollars in their bank accounts and no job and somehow managing to buy a rental property with financing. Can someone elaborate on what is typically done in these cases to get that financing? And if this is not the case, please help me to understand what I am missing from these stories.

I am part way through dental school with money saved up from work from nearly a year ago. I don't have a W-2 job, neither does my wife (we both do sales jobs with 1099's) and my debt to income ratio sucks pretty bad because of dental school tuition. House hacking with a multifamily would save us a ton of money over the next 3 years until I graduate but I can't seem to understand what type of financing would be possible for my situation. 

I will definitely invest after school, but I refuse to accept that I can't invest now. 

Thanks for any and all of your advice!

@Brandon Turner

@Brandon Turner