Here are some general guidelines: Lien Position1st Position LienEquityMinimum Down Payment of 20-25% (a 30% equity to sale price is preferred)Down Payment made in certified funds and not borrowedMaximum Funding of 70% ITV (Investment to Value)SeasoningMinimum of two monthly payments already made12 months or more preferredPayer CreditCredit Score of 650 or higherNo major derogatory trade lines (No 90-180+ days delinquent, foreclosure, repossession, bankruptcy, etc.)No decline in credit since purchase of businessTermsPrefer 60 months or lessMaximum of 72 monthsNo Balloon Payment preferredCash FlowBusiness has positive cash flow1.25 debt service coverage ratio preferred.DocumentationPersonal guarantee from a creditworthy individualStandard documents including Note, Security Agreement, and UCC-1 filing.Tax Returns on the business that substantiate profit and loss statements.OtherPayment history current and verifiablePayer Interview indicating buyer is satisfied with business and comfortable making paymentsMotivation for selling the note is not a result of a deteriorating businessConsideration of high risk businesses or geographic areasIn these situations, sometimes a partial is a better option. 

Eric the big one for us is when trying to buy subdivision land.. and seller see's one acre being fold for 400k and they have 30 acres and now want 12 mil.. when in fact larger parcels for SFR are trading on the market at say 200k an acre.. they refuse to understand that it cost 50k or more per lot to get those lots buildable.. they just do the simple math and stick that price on them.  

His God complex and giant ego won't allow him to reflect on the damage he's done  keep in mind if the SEC detects a serious issue and one that could harm investors right now they have the power to take emergency action and shut them down.

Across the board, the worse the neighborhood, the better the cash flow, the better the neighborhood, the trade off for tenants base, better schools, low crime, etc etc.

With current interest rates, and they are at least 1% higher with potentially additional points for non owner occupied property, it is hard to find properties that will allow for positive cash flow after paying the mortgage, if you are looking for money for the down payment from a private lender, those are normally at higher than market and I am not sure it would be possible to pay it off.... please remember you need to take into account that you may not have a tenant for a certain amount of time, a tenant may stop paying rent, or you will have a big ticket item to fix, so I would wait if I were you and save to have enough for the down payment and closing costs and perhaps some money set aside for repairs. you also want to make sure that you have your own emergency fund outside of the money needed for the investment property because life happens ....

This may provide low cash flow up front but it is a way of scaling if you are good at adding value and then trading up that value.

If they want to sell it and have emergency funds for medical bills, seller financing likely won't appeal to them. 

Connecting with local GC groups in your area will help you connect with subcontractors, find out tips and tricks of the trade in your local area (since all areas and their real estate differ slightly).Also, have you considered the motivation behind building a brand-new duplex versus finding one on the market?

I've heard horror stories that it's usually impossible due to the "burden placed on the municipality" but could really never understand what that burden was... most people living in those units wouldn't be using the school systems so aside from maybe an increased volume in emergency medical situations I can not understand that statement? 

My cost wont necessarily be the same or comparable as I GC my own projects and have trade skills.