@Kyle Schlosser - despite all of the replies on here it doesn't look like you've got clear direction yet. There are two types of lenders for your scenario, residential and commercial. The two are very different and depending on who you talk to you'll get widely different answers.
Residential
-Can do 1-4 unit loans with 30 year amortization
-Property must be held in your name, not an entity
-Underwriting will be to Fannie/Freddie guidelines which means rents will be heavily discounted or excluded for purposes of calculating your DTI ratio
-Pretty much any bank will have somebody that can do this and there are infinite resources online.
-In my experience, most people doing these types of loans are relatively new to banking/lending and may know less about the loans they're working than a trained monkey. Verify anything that doesn't sound right to you.
-Underwriting guidelines are published and available for review - this Fannie grid should have any info you need regarding what requirements are and what type of loan structure you can get based on your personal factors.
Commercial
-Can do any number of units, typically 20 year amortization with 5 year term and 75-80% LTV
-They prefer you hold property in an entity
-Rates are generally 25-100+ basis points higher than residential loans
-Underwriting is in house, much more flexible with loans than residential
-People doing these loans typically have a long track record in the industry and are very knowledgeable about the products they're offering
It sounds like you spoke with commercial lenders at these small banks, and they assumed you wanted a commercial loan. If you want a residential loan, you're probably better off going with a big bank with regards to terms and rates.
Hope this helps!
