I funded this with US cash, as well as a loan with a Canadian bank.I have shared this process with many friends and other real estate buddies that commended my journey.

Most people don't qualify for that relationship.The seller financing will not show up or affect the credit score.However, when applying for a loan at the bank or especially a Federally Guaranteed loan, they ask on the application for ALL Loans, whether  or not it shows on a credit report.

I am looking to see if there are ways to get creative with downpayment on commercial loans.

I too live in Marin, and feel it is a solid long term market for apprecaition, and utilizing the power of principle reduction.When it comes to refinancing, figure out what the loan costs will be, then divide that buy the monthly savings with the new loan in order to determine how long you have to maintain that loan to break even. 

@Denise Brown-Puryear I am biased as I co-own BIFI Loan Servicing.

Starting with a smaller property or a few fix-and-flip projects can help you build equity, gain credibility with lenders, and better understand the process before scaling up.Securing funding for larger projects can be challenging without prior experience, but options like hard money loans might be worth exploring.

Use all of the proceeds and take a smaller loan initially. 

Can't you get a conventional loan?

I am not sure what you are looking for here, but you can't get a loan without having homeowner's insurance.

Lets say someone has 190k left on a 2.95% loan for a 220k property.