I live in San Diego, CA and purchased 3 single family homes over the last year, 1 in TX and 2 in OH.

For my clients, I like Easy Streets bridge purchase and STR DSCR programs. 

Meet with a local banker & schedule a time to talk with a mortgage broker, they'll give you at least a baseline of what kind of down payment options and rates are out there.After that, if you're still wanting to research more creative options, do some looking into seller financing (a very hot topic with good, and bad, advice out there), look into private lenders, and commercial financing options.If you're wanting to live in 1/4 of your quadplex, then conventional residential loans may in fact be your best option as you can purchase that with a fannie/freddy loan with very low down, and use up to 75% of the income from the property toward your own income. 

The information contained in this post is not to be relied upon.

Here’s why lease options are a game-changer:🔹 Low Risk, High Leverage – Instead of buying a property outright, you lease it with the option to purchase later.

I work with out-of-state investors and would be happy to share my experience and how I can help you in your next investment purchase.

So it does appear to be possible to get an FHA 203k loan for a 5-unit & convert to a 4-unit.When possible, aim for the Limited (aka Streamline) 203k loan, as it's less complex, not required to get an FHA consultant, etc.Of course, this is based of the two following important assumptions:1)  zoning allows for this2)  and obviously I owner occupy for at least 12 months3)  the total purchase price + renovations are within the FHA loan limits specific to my areaWhat I'm confused about is the timeline or chronological order of the process? 

Your best/safest bet would be a regular lease combined with an option to purchase.

Where do you find the purchase and sale agreement contracts and assignment contracts and how do you know they are legit?

Purchase price: $640,000 Cash invested: $220,000 Purchase price $640,000Got it at this price because there is a non-paying tenant in unit 2 (rent value $3,500), we're in court Rehab $60,000All in cash (rehab plus down payment) $217,500Rehab included ground level basement and 2 parking spot drivewayMonthly cash flow $1,500 ARV $950,000Equity $470,000Refi cash out (August 2024) $150,000 (used to buy new rental)New monthly cash flow breaking even (non-paying tenant still in unit 2)New equity about $200,000