intro's, my past strategy and how to move forward

[Charles Fuss]

hi all,

i am new to this space, but am a huge fan of boards (i am a member of several others,but none re related) and the experiences members share on them. albeit, i am newer to re investing, i feel i have navigated moderately well . since no one in my family or friends have been involved in re in the level like have, i have had limited critiques on how i operate and  how i should proceed. so, here i plan to lay it all out-as a first time poster, first time real estate board member:-)

a little about my background: my full time job is working for a big four firm. i was a treasury banker, but moved to the sweeter gig i am in now. my goal is to own outright 3 money making properties and my primary. afterwards, i want to teach school.

in 2006 i bought my first house in Charleston, sc, (which i will refer to as house 1). a few months later,  i was relocated to charlotte, where i purchased another house a year later (house 2). neither house cost more than 110k, but still, after 2008, i was upside-down on both, by 20%. i purchased home 1 as a primary, but had my brother move in when i was relocated. i kept a room in home 1 and continued to call it a primary when i purchased home 2. 

now home 2 is right outside charlotte, and in a rougher neighborhood. after living there 3 years, i decided to rent it out and go back to Charleston. i have had some great renters there and have been ecstatic about the setup, outside the fact it is 3.5 hours away. my rents pay PI and PMI, but only half the TI.

my fiancé and i relocated back to Charleston and rented a few months, when in the depths of the recession, a little condo came on the market close to downtown and folly beach. i wiped out my cash savings and purchased it cash for 50k. we loved the location so much, we moved in and have yet to leave, even though my original intent was for it to be a rental. currently, we consider it our 2nd home (pls do not mistake for home 2) as home 1 is occupied still by my bro, even though i have a room still in it.

now we come to today. my fiancé has been starting to talk about the future and kids and wants a house with a yard... yada, yada, yada. okay, i admit i am feeling it too, but i am in kind of a pickle: house 1 is not "rented" (although my bro kicks in 75% of the mortgage) , the house 2 is rented and I'm very comfortable with it, and the condo (let's call it house 3) is not rented. 

now is the problem: how to get financing. house 1 and 2 are ltv at 90%, but the condo is at zero ltv. i plan to rent the condo out once i have a plan in place. right now, i have cash to put 25% down, and we are looking in the 110k-160k. my job is pretty solid, and my work prospects are even better for the next several years. my credit is an "a"

the main question i have is (1)  try to go normal financing route or should i try private lenders? (2) is there advice anyone can provide on how i currently have the properties situated, and suggestions of what i should do? lay it on me folks. i need to scrutinize how this structure before going forward with anymore deals.

thanks in advanced, and if ever on James Island, i'll buy you a coffee.

Charles