@David ShirtsIn my experience, seller financing can be a game-changer, especially for properties with clear titles or when traditional loans aren't an option.

Quote from @Stuart Udis: Not creative, but good real estate and traditional financing is almost always better than incredible seller financing terms and lousy real estate.

I don't have any apartments in the traditional/complex sense either, and I'm sure that turnover is higher in those.  

@Raj VardhanI agree with @Evan Polaski regarding the 6-Month Seasoning Rule: Most traditional lenders require a 6-month holding period before you can do a cash-out refinance.

Traditionally I have sold the builder land and loaned him the money to buy the land and build the house with us splitting up the profits when it sold. 

That said, I completely understand your concern about deals looking "too good to be true" when you’re putting in 50% down.To avoid this, it’s best to analyze properties as if you were using more traditional financing (20-25% down).

The problem we are having is much of our current deal flow is below traditional lending terms (<$75K).

If you’re working with a community bank or a traditional lender, these issues may not be as relevant.

Yes, most large traditional lenders only focus on 1-4 units and other properties that fit into a box. 

I cannot qualify for traditional conventional for multiple reasons but the over 200 to 1 debt to income ratio is a primary reason.