So question, when you are looking at a property you know you just don't have the down payment for, have you ever asked the seller to hold a certain percentage of the mortgage?

Wikipedia defines it as, “the ratio of annual before-tax cash flow to the total amount of cash invested, expressed as a percentage.”

This can often get confused with the return on investment and cash on cash because over the period of one year, all these percentages are the same.

They can lend up to 80% LTV but my rate will increase by almost a full percentage point plus more in closing costs which is a non-starter for me.

I know with most, the basic structure is funding a percentage, usually 65-80%, of project cost, with interest only payments during the loan duration, with a balloon payment at the end.

You want to have enough down from them to cover what you think the market crash could be in terms of percentage plus your estimated legal costs. 

I've heard other investors say it's best to keep a certain percentage of equity in a home, but not to go too high, or it's wasted money that could be better invested.

With Home Possible, the borrowers' annual income cannot exceed 100 percent of the area median income (AMI) or a higher percentage in designated high-cost areas.If you can do the Homestyle Renovation loan from Fannie Mae, it's a better deal than FHA just because of the mortgage insurance.Don't be cowed by the paperwork on a 203K. 

What percentages do you follow when purchasing single family homes for rental...or multi families like quads and duplexes?

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