I know you say you are not a pro, but have you ever heard of this program?

Both programs allow you to export all your data so that you can forward to your accountant.

Just make sure you get the certificate of Occupancy from the city.  

We're looking to buy in the Charlotte area of North Carolina if that makes a difference.Also, although we have owned homes technically we have never financed a home before, so I'm also unclear on whether we may qualify for any FHA programs since we do want to finance this time around.

I'm an asset manager handling roughly 150-170 properties nationwide through the Fannie multifamily loan programs.

What programs do you have in place to keep residents happy?

Search FHA first time homebuyer programs.

My biggest concern is with affording the down payment combined with any closing costs or fees that come along the way.I've been speaking to a few different loan officers, and the consensus seems to be that conventional loan programs for a duplex property type require at least 15% down. 

I would also look into homeready loans or the bank of america grant program, they might be better than the FHA route.https://singlefamily.fanniemae...https://www.bankofamerica.com/...Not sure if that helps at all, happy house hacking!

These are just a few, there is a myriad of programs out there, just need to write down what you want and expect a program to do for you, then take it from there!