Being that I am self employed, it's a little trickier to get financing than for someone who can back up their REI activities with a solid, dependable day job, lol.

Verify employment and income.  

As an independent person this income is just like any employer income, right?

Do you do double closings or employ any other "creative" strategies?

I'd imagine It's gonna be hard for you to find a loan most likely if you don't have employment.

My experian credit is Fair but still slight below 600 ( won't apply till i'm atleast 620 for less interest etc) however it's full of thousands of debt repayments to bills that had been/or still in the process of being paid off (intentionally to raise credit) I'm also aware that Lenders (apparently) are more concerned with DTI, which in my case is a good thing as I make pretty good Doe as a Truck Driver (but my employment record is anything but stable which could hurt approvals, however to be fair Trucking Companies are not typical jobs, jumping company 2 company is very common in this industry) The multiplexes i'm looking at is a 3-4 units but they seem to range around  low200-400k, so i need an ideal amount of money I need to save just for the remaining amount the loan won't cover.

If you plan to be self employed, no degree is needed in most cases (unless you are doctor, lawyer, etc.)

I look for tenants that make 3 to 3 1/2 times the rent, steady employment for the past 2 years, and no judgements or evictions.

Great question, I am a newbie but now I do pay much more attention to school districts, major employers, trends in the area, development and much much more. 

I am fortunate in my employer is one of the very few that still offers a pension.