Maybe the better alternative is just getting a private lender loan for the cash we need....Hopefully some of you bankers can chime in and offer some advice.

Does anybody alternate between buy and hold, then flip a house to make a large payment towards principal on their buy and holds?

Screen your own tenants and refer them to this company if you have neither the time or alternative management company to fill the vacancy and find a better alternative once the unit is occupied and actually making you money. 

I researched several case studies using this program in Chicago and it does offer an alternative without requiring a HUD consultant and no UMIP and  a lower PMI.  

I NEVER encourage an alternate channel with tenants. 

The web portal the other gentleman listed is an alternative, but I think they separate the data for city and county.

@Ryan Rodgers the key here is to keep trying the banks, it may take a little time but if you stick to your guns of buy and holding you may have to look at mortgage brokers/banker as an alternative to conventional banking, gulf coast bank could be a great place to start, keep envesting/investing my redstick neighbor, keep posting but most of all keep sharing

I was told that in order to utilize any of the building's equity, i would need to give a 8-10% down payment on the desired loan amount... was thinking about maybe refinancing my primary home to make the necessary down payment... is there a better alternative to obtaining funds for this project?

@John Leavell:Appreciate, your input on Depreciation, I get your explanation.Per the article, http://www.zillow.com/blog/rental-property-depreci...Investors could depreciate using Real Estate Investment from year 1 using (a) General Depreciation  System (GDS) or (b) Alternative Depreciation System (ADS).

That's because the city had THOUSANDS of commuters move into the area and drive up home prices during the early 2000's, so it's often considered an alternative for Bay Area home buyers.Now, if you're an all-cash buyer, or the neighborhood matters more to you than the typical investment metrics most investors use, then a single family home is Roseville might be the best option.