New Investor - Possible to Leave Job Prior to Investing?

[Michael Toth]

I'm new to the real estate investing space. Currently, I'm living in New York City. I've been here for the past 6 years, but I grew up in Ohio. Over the last 6 years, I've worked to save money, and now I have ~$60k liquid that I am interested in investing in real estate. I think the markets in NY and the East Coast generally are too expensive, and I'm more interested in buying cashflow property, likely in Ohio. 

Ideally, what I'd like to do is to leave my current job, spend some time researching on the ground in Ohio, and buy a few properties with 20% down payments. I'm worried that if I leave my job however, I'll never get approved for a mortgage, even though I could easily get another job. Is this even possible? How do full-time real estate investors do this? Do you have to start investing while maintaining a job/income, or is what I'm describing feasible? I really appreciate your time and any advice you can give me!