Foreclosures/Bank Owned the only way in Northern NJ?

[Sean Guzman]

Hello everyone my name is Sean and I'm still learning everything I can about real estate investing. I live in northern NJ and I'm trying to get into real estate investing but feel like I should start somewhat close to home so I can be fully hands on since this would be my 1st investment. Anybody familiar with the northern NJ market knows that prices are high and I feel can be tough to invest in unless you get a foreclosure or bank owned property? Is that really the case? I'm still trying to navigate my way through these early steps and could use any advice on this topic and also on hard money lenders. Also looking for local meetups that aren't trying to sell you on things but are actually helpful for newbies. Looking forward to your responses and I thank you in advance.