New Investor from Central New Jersey. Question about financing.

[Marlon Imbert]

Hey everyone I am extremely excited to stumble across the BP Podcast and community. I've been interested in real estate for some time and have been saving up for a down payment and reading as much material as i can get my hands on. My current plan is to purchase a multifamily property as my first investment. I have helped a friend with renovations on his multifamily property and see the cash flow. 

A massive hurdle i have are my student loans which effected my debt to income so badly that i was denied financing from my bank Wells Fargo. Its been presented to me that smaller banks take into consideration the rental income and are more willing to approve a loan. Im willing to go the FHA route but hesitant because of the added mortgage insurance to my monthly expense. Still weighing my options on which type of loan to seek.

My main question is can anyone from the North Brunswick, New Jersey area or Central New Jersey area, suggest any advice for getting started in my area.