College students wanting to house hack

[Derek Herbst]

Hello Bigger Pockets. My wife and I are currently studying at BYU and we are wanting to get into real estate as soon as it makes sense for us. We both have part-time jobs, working a combined 40+ hours a week, on top of being full-time students. We are paying cash for all schooling expenses and don’t have any debt. I’m an avid listener of the podcast and will be watching the webinar hosted this week on the topic of buying small multi-family properties.

We are hoping to find a duplex where we can live in the basement and rent out the top floor of the home. Neither of us have family or many connections in Utah outside of other college students. We are wondering what recommendations everyone has in finding a realtor and what the first steps would be in this process? What are some books/forums you would recommend for us to read and prepare ourselves for the day when we are ready to purchase a home? Is there any other advice you would give to young couples looking to get into the real estate world?

Thanks for all the help!