I'm looking to invest in multi-families, but am hearing it will be hard to get financing for it due to being unemployed...looking for any help or advice that will lead me in the right direction. 

When I bought my first multi-family, the seller had two units that were vacant.

It is better to do a deal than skip one just because the dollar amount for financing is high.Good luck in your search and know that if the numbers make sense, you have made the right choice.ya know I would have agreed with this pre 08  but these days most HML want good credit  and proof of cash reserves and cash down.. for inexperienced first time type buyers they may not even do one.. unless you have massive down and cash backing you up.. it gets very easy when your have a nice track record.. but most HML are not little down crappy credit no provable income.  

So essentially, I would be paying 300 in utilities plus 75 (difference between the 900 rent and 825 income from upper unit) for a total of 375/month.I own and manage several SFR's and multi-family properties, but have never gotten involved in a lease option.

Does the property need to be zoned as a multi unit property? 

I would love to house back in one of these areas, but I do not come across many multi family units...

I just read $4.50 foot to install copalum in swiches and outlets...but there are little purple boxes that are alternative type of pigtailing. 1970‘s track house is a good first rehab...its a modern house.

@Dan Bryskin, yes, freeing up the VA Loan will help me get into a multi fam in San Diego, which is normally very hard to do (20% of $700k traditional vs 0% down for the same with VA Loan).

I would like to begin branching out into multi/single family homes this year for buy and hold cashflow model.

Problem is it is a lot tougher to sell a multi-family then it is a SFR if/when things get bad.