Many of us who live in expensive markets are constantly trying to allocate capital in RE, but struggle to find cash flowing deals.You might even have the income to pay off a good chunk of a mortgage, but you won't want to refi with raising interest rates, so does it make sense to purchase new investment properties with a "portfolio" of methods?

That method has given me much better success. 

Ever get involved with that?

VA Guarantees loans for veterans.Provides guarantee to the lenders for the loan.PMI insurance is not required.The max entitlement is $104,250 * 4 = $417kInterest rates are negotiated with lenderPrepayments penalties are prohibited by law.VA loans can be assumedRequired that the veteran live in the property2% VA funding fee.I am looking at methods of financing a multifamily rental property. 

Use the IRV method Income _ net income void of property taxes and insurancedivided by cap rate say its an A property use 7% = valueI / R =V

Waste of a mortgage given the fees involved. 

Is that not the normal method, or is it just a Boston thing? 

No need to involve a middleman on a small deal like this (in my opinion).4.

I tend to stay away from trusts, because there is a lot to deal with usually (attorneys, parties involved, etc.)

Although I've tried many methods, the one that has given me the most success is sending out blind offers to owners.