First time investment for a single mom

[Allison Klein]

I am 47, a single mom, a special education teacher and a recently licensed real estate agent ( which at the moment I am doing part-time while teaching). I hope to move full time into real estate after this school year. I recently went through a divorce and lost my home and along with it the equity. So I am starting from scratch. My sons and I are renting a house at this point but I would like to buy. Unfortunately I can't do that right now with my lack of down payment and also credit that was damaged in my relationship as well. So I have some work to do but I would like to be able to buy by next summer. I am really interested in investing in real estate. Ideally I would like to buy a multi-family situation where my boys and I can live there as well as rent out part of it. That seems like the best way for me get started in investing.

All of that being said does anybody have any other ideas of ways that I could get started? Maybe creative financing ideas? Maybe somebody out there got their start in real estate investing during a similar type of life circumstance?