George, I am responding to one your questions, the required down payment for your 6 unit apartment building purchase. This property type is a commercial real estate transaction as any property that exceeds 4 units is commercial. You should be prepared to have at least 25% down payment to close and complete your purchase. A commercial mortgage professional will most likely look at the current cash flow of the property as part of their decision along with other financial information about yourself.

If you need to consult with a commercial mortgage professional, I recommend you contact Kevin McArdle, http://www.cdkcapital.com.

George, because of the current market conditions, now is the perfect time to buy an investment property,
Renters are abundant because of the credit crunch. The market will come back, always does.
Your going to need anywhere from 20 - 30% down. Try to find a property with seperate unit heating, the fuel costs & taxes are the things to watch for.

You need to speak with a banker. Anything above a 4-unit building is going to fall under commercial property and will probably require a much larger downpayment than a 2-4 unit building.

Give my mortgage broker - Todd Theesfeld at National City Bank - a call at 312-384-8280 and he can help you.

Everything is price dependent. It can make great sense if the property cash flows and you can get the financing. The market will eventually turn around and those who bought and made sound investment decisions based on sound investment principles will be the best off.