Investing in New England

[Cody Duval]

I've been doing a lot of research via videos and books, and have become very interested in a secondary income stream through real estate. I have a decent paying job, but want to create a way to not rely so heavily on it and allow my investments to build on themselves. The problem I am running into is, I live in New England and it seems like the housing market here is very inflated versus what I see elsewhere. I already have a home that I am paying a mortgage on, but don't want it to be a forever home. I just don't know that right now is the best time to pull equity from it and move as the market has become so inflated price wise, but inventory is so low, so I wouldn't be able to get anything nicer.

When it comes to acquiring a second property, I'd like to get something around the 100-150k range, but that means the places are very tiny or very gross around here. I'm also seeing a lot of people suggest getting a 3% down mortgage, but for a second property or investment property, everything I read says you can only finance at 20-25% down. How exactly can I find something allowing me to put minimal money down, but without losing my primary residence at this time? Also, anyone that invests around this region, any tips on getting a property that is actually useful at a reasonable price? TIA