Down Payment? + Owner Financing

[Peter Campagna]

Hi everyone. Does anybody have a suggestion on how to get down payment money?

Here is my situation:

• I live in Southern California, housing is expensive. 
• I don't seem to have much trouble finding owner financing deals, per se. 
• I have great credit. 
• I don't make a ton of money and all the money I do make I can only put a little away at a time (because: SoCal). 
• Hard money lenders don't like doing down payments.
• Owner financing wants at least 25% down.
• With any debt to income ratio I've tested it doesn't work for conventional financing.
• Even conventional financing requires AT LEAST 3% (which I don't have because: SoCal, but I'm also not looking to live in it (my rent is 1/3 of the comps).

What have you done/what would you do? Is there another thread that might have already answered this?

Thanks y'all,

Pete