Either way its good to buy end of year as most builders and sellers are offering seller credits or builder credits to use towards closing costs or to buy a rate down to help get a lower payment.Even if you wanted to buy a strater home like a 2-4 unit as a primary again you only need to put 5% down. 

I realize there are not many banks that offer this.

That said, the fewer units a property has, the easier it is to manage, so smaller multifamily properties can offer a good balance between cash flow and simplicity.

The fact they ask you to do this is not only a red flag for obvious reasons, but also because, they should know better how risky this is for you and if they had true good intentions they would have understood that and not offer you that option.What you can do is tell them..

The idea is to find a pocket or neighborhood that offers the right combination of estimated ROI and rental demand, giving a balance of cash flow and tenant demand.In my view, this approach provides a more reliable signal of demand than relying solely on pricing adjustments or short-term market trends.

Markets like Tulsa and Oklahoma City offer affordable entry points for investors, with properties often priced under $200K.

This could involve offering a higher interest rate in exchange for reduced upfront costs or deferring payments until a certain milestone.If building right away isn’t feasible, consider buying the lot now with the goal of paying it off over time, and save up to build when rates and budgets align.

Personally, I love them because they offer built-in diversification.In my experience, local banks are your best bet for financing mixed-use properties.

Midterm rentals often offer higher returns than long-term rentals, but you'll also have to manage more frequent turnovers and potential vacancies.

@Marc Shin despite seeming to conflict each other, both @Jay Hurst and @Frank Pyle offer good points. #1 you can often find promotions for zero or low interest from furniture stores that you might want to consider. #2 many private/hard money lenders will consider furnishings if the deal, including the furnishings, falls into their deal box.Believe it or not, it might be easier to include the furnishings in the deal with a significantly lower down payment if there is other rehab work to be done.