Financing Obstacles - First Time Home Buyer

[Yuki Jones]

Hi everyone, first time posting here and could use some advice. 

I spoke to a lender for the first time and they told me that I don't have enough income to qualify for a loan on a multi-family property in our area. What financing strategies are there for people like me who have lower W-2 income to get approved for a loan? Do we HAVE to increase our W-2 income or are there other ways we can get pre-approved for loans? My lender suggested getting a co-signer, but that would only work for the 1st property, right? I plan to buy multiple properties down the line and I'm not sure how I can do that with just my low income.

Any ideas or advice would be appreciated!