Meanwhile, we were paying a crazy high interest rate to our private investor who had funded the purchase of all the homes.

Quote from @Michael Smythe: Besides MANY self-labeled "gurus" exaggerating their success, many of them just supply readily available info.If you're too busy to find the info and are willing to pay for it, no problem as you accept their time vs money solution.REGARDING S8 GURU ISSUES SPECIFICALLYMost of them don't share all the facts about how Section 8 actually works.They claim you can get HIGHER rent from S8 tenants vs private-paying tenants.Why would the government allow our tax dollars to be spent this way?

I have $25K cash for a down payment and can add $20K/year ($1,600/month) toward payments.No W2s, I've looked into building a small home right away and using a bank statements loan (have about 8800. monthly income) , but with 9%+ interest rates, it’s beyond my budget.Is there any sort of creative financing ideas possible or private lender possibilities?

We invest in non performing loans and do some private lending as well.

Quote from @Rodney Davis: They presented themselves as private lenders.

Many large private lenders will work with smaller lenders as correspondents.

This is a good reference for myself and personal private lenders.

I remember reading about lots of trouble with private REITS. 

I have a potential private lender, but I need to determine if this is a viable investment opportunity and explore the best financing optionsYou’re a first time investor going for 36 units… alone?

When you buy a property with the intention to Airbnb Househack, you can find a better layout to make it more separate / private but start with what you have, Get temporarily uncomfortable so that you have a comfortable future.