In this case I would not mind putting a large down payment since you are playing the long game, and with risks growing everyday of a sell-off or bubble, you will be able to CYA in the worst scenario.

hello my name is Sylvia and this is my first post so I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes I might make.I live in Cincinnati, Oh and I'm interested in buying a multi family as my first investment property, preferably a 4 plex.

It should be—make no mistake, there are many people who have “lost it all” making bad real estate investments, both from poor decision making and market forces.The primary difference is that in a syndication you can suffer a loss as a result of bad decisions and fraud by the sponsor in addition to the risks of loss present in direct investing.  

You can then ride both the gains from the stock market AND have the upside of having substantial RE portfolio.The one issue with this is the bank can 'call' the loan at the worst time -- during times of financial distress, stock market crashes, credit line freezes, etc.

I have a local team in DFW area and we are learning from our mistakes in these transactions.

guessing)We just bought a house in town - I have 2 weeks to work out the financing (worst case i just use some pension money i have) ANY ADVICE HERE?

Due diligence can save you from making big mistakes.

@Mark Gilford You did absolutely the right thing and walked away from making mistakes since you didnt know how to look into that house for repair etc .... having said that you may have lost out a deal as well.... most of the time wholesellers would be cheaper compare to market if you know what to look for and cost of rehab.  

Worst thing that can happen is they say no.

Anyway, I have some questions and hope someone on the pro side of things will help me out with some info as I am a newbie, but a newbie who doesn’t want to make mistakes and end up telling horror stories.