investing in real estate with 50,000 in student debt/ low credit

[April Woolley]

Hey guys! 

So I am new to BP and I absolutely love it--especially the forums that answer practically about any question that comes across someone's mind. You guys rock! 

So, I just graduated college almost a year ago and I owe about 50k in student loans which is taking a toll on my credit score.  I would really like to invest in real estate as a buy and hold investor (particularly house hacking) but I just feel stuck. If I increase my credit score but I still have a large chunk of student debt to pay off, would I still be able to get a mortgage? Also should I focus on paying down my debt first as opposed to saving for a down payment?