Need some guidance

[Flabia Alonso Trujillo]

Hi everyone! 

            I have never posted in here and it makes me nervous, but I need some guidance. My sister and I, have wanted to buy a multi-family property for the past couple of months. However, we have been stuck because we thought that we needed at least $20,000.00 for a downpayment and we have this money in the stock market, taking it out will incur a loss. 

          However, one of my friends is in the process of buying her first home and she got help from the city, which meant that she didn't have to put any money down and it also covered closing costs. This was due to being a first time home buyer, which we are as well. 

      My questions are, will this work for a duplex too and how do I even start the process to know whether we could get the same help. I am scared of wasting a realtor time and haven't contacted one yet, should I start by that? 

Thank you so much. I really appreciate any guidance that I can get. :)