Seeking the best real estate agent to help find my first deal!

[Andrew Cruickshank]

Hello everyone! I posted a few weeks back looking for your opinions on the best strategy for my current situation.  In short, I am deploying overseas and looking to find my wife a place to stay that can also help start our real estate journey.  With the an overwhelmingly unanimous response that the best option is house hacking. Unfortunately Duplexes are uncommon in Morris County New Jersey where we are looking and also over our budget. I was also introduced to finding a house with a split basement or "mother in law suite"  that we would be able to rent out, along with this she would also be able to get a roommate and cover almost all of the mortgage or more. So now the only step left to do is to find the deal! 

I was hoping to connect with a real estate agent in New Jersey to help me find a house suitable for our plans. I am looking to buy a house before november. I am in the military and will most likely use my VA loan to purchase this property. I will also need to find a determined lender to help me get a loan for this property. Thank you in advance and please let me know if you have any other tips!

[Bruce Lynn]

@Andrew Cruickshank Sounds like a great plan.

I would say your first step is to get prequalified for a loan with a great lender that specializes in VA loans. Do it now so you have a great idea if you need to clean up anything between now and then. Also they can give you options for ways to improve your interest rate, perhaps with down payment, or better credit score. If you have a credit union on base, you might start there, or if not try Navy Federal Credit Union. Just make sure to let them know you want to buy in NJ, so they get you a loan officer licensed there.

Once you have your letter in hand and know your price range, then get connected with a realtor to find you the right property.

Good luck, thanks for your service, enjoy your time abroad and make the most of it.