Contractor's Wife Dying to Get Into Real Estate

[Jillian Conklin]

Hi, I am married to a general contractor who does kitchen/bathroom remodeling, decks, drywall....yada, yada, yada and we would love to get into real estate.    I feel I am more motivated than him and that is probably because he is more of a cynic than I.  Ever since I was little and my mom would take me to open houses in these huge Victorians, I have wanted to get into real estate.  We don't want to part without savings for a down payment and are free and clear of the mortgage in the home we live in now.  What is the best option as far as getting money lent from a business like a bank or hard money lender?  I have heard about hard money loans but it seems like that is scary, but maybe our only option.   We have great credit and can do the work!  Unfortunately, we have poor friends and family so the option to use them as lenders is out of the question.