Newby buyer/investor looking for tips on how to finance a rental

[Kirk Ziegler]

My wife and I are former home owners looking at purchasing a three unit rental home which we will occupy and rent out the other two units. We are pretty sure we again quality as  "new home buyers" since we have not owned a home for over 5 years (in Michigan).  However, we are self employed and try and not pay a lot in income taxes, so our returns are not really that attractive in lenders eyes if you know what I mean. We would prefer to not put anything down when we purchase the home because we are not wealthy (but we do have great credit). With all that in mind, we are wondering if any of you experts have some tips or tricks on the best financing options for our situation. I am also curious if applying for a business loan is an option since we have been self employed for over 20 years. Would love to hear your expert advise on what you would do in our situation.