Looking to hear someone’s local experience in starting out.

New to Real Estate · NJ · Member since 2025 · 38 posts · 8 votes

How’s everyone doing ?

I’m very new to this but I’m proud to say I am now an investor, I just haven’t invested in anything yet. I plan on taking a few years saving my money and learning as much as I can about real estate before I take the leap on my first property. I want to hear some stories on how other people got started and how easy/difficult it was. I am newly married and have a hefty mortgage myself, but I manage to save a decent amount of money realistically 10-15k a year I have been working as a construction worker as long as I have been working I am a mason by trade and even though moneys tight I know I will be a successful investor even in the current market. I just want to hear some insight from people who’ve actually done it.

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Taz Zettergren
Real Estate Agent · Memphis, TN · Member since 2019 · 365 posts · 264 votes
1y
@Dillon Clark welcome to the forums Dillon! I started out house hacking prior to getting married. I renovated the home while 3 of my friends lived with me and paid my mortgage. After getting married my friends moved out and my wife and I expanded into rental properties. Things definitely change once you're married but if you don't have any kids and your wife is open to it you may want to try finding a duplex, triplex or quadplex to buy as a primary. You and the wife could live in 1 side and you could rent the other doors out. Not only would it decrease your monthly mortgage but you'd be able to get into it with a very little down payment since you'd be living in one side of it.
Another thought, with you being in construction, at some point you might want to look at building homes or multi families. You could build a new one every 2-3 years and move into it as a primary so the bank would be more friendly with your loan. By the time you do that 4-5 times you should be able to have a paid off home or excess funds to invest in other assets. Just my two cents, best of luck on the journey!
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Dillon Clark
OP
New to Real Estate · NJ · Member since 2025 · 38 posts · 8 votes
1y
That’s great advice Taz, I’m currently working on saving enough money to get started, house hacking is hard for me at the moment because I just bought a house 2 years ago, I would have to sell my house(which is in a great neighborhood great location) and use that money to fund the duplex which isn’t totally out of the question, I would like to keep the house if possible but also would like to get real estate investing more. I’m just currently in the planning phase to see what the best path going forward is. As far as building homes goes that is something I would like to get into down the line l, I’ve been doing construction as long as I’ve been working I would just think I would have to build a solid portfolio before even getting into that. Let me know if you have any thoughts or opinions on this I appreciate you reaching out.
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Wale LawalBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Houston | Dallas | Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 2k+ votes
1y
@Dillon Clark
Welcome to BP!
It's great that you're focused on saving and educating yourself before diving into real estate. Many successful investors started small, such as with house hacking or buying affordable properties to rent out. Your construction skills can give you a significant advantage, allowing you to save on rehab costs or even flip properties for capital. Networking with other investors and professionals is crucial for learning and finding opportunities. Be patient, take action when you're ready, and don't let fear hold you back—start small, learn as you go, and build momentum over time.
Good luck!
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