Woman Brand New to This in Jersey City, NJ!

[Jessyca Jones]

Hi! 

I'm Jessyca (Jess). I live in Northern New Jersey (Jersey City), & work in Manhattan NYC . I got interested in real estate investing pretty recently, after going to meet my boyfriend's parents for the first time & finding out that they have real estate investment/income properties. They live in Norwalk, CT, & have about 6 between them, of varying sizes. It opened my mind up to a whole new way of thinking & possibilities. It amazed me that they had people PAYING them to live in ROOMS in houses they owned! Quick math on the rents they were charging made me realize this is something I wanted to do. Technically they don't have to work "real" jobs if they didn't want to. I've always been interested in passive income, & while I realize this isn't 100% passive, it's close enough for me!

Since then I've been devouring the Bigger Pockets podcast & reading up on real estate investing. I've attended one real estate meetup near me, & I also met with a loan officer at my bank to inquire about buying a home. Unfortunately we didn't get very far in the process because my median credit score was 10 points too low to proceed I was told; however, I plan on speaking with a community bank/credit union this week, as I've read their terms might be more favorable.

While real estate investing seems overwhelming right now, I still plan on going for it. Financial freedom (my definition is: not having to worry about money & not depending on a 9-5 paycheck) is a goal of mine, which I think I can achieve via real estate. Right now, I think being a landlord/buying a home & renting it out seems like the direction I want to go. 

I'm excited to interact with like-minded people on here, & learn as much as I can! If you're in my area, I'd love to meet in person!

[Shawn Mcenteer]

welcome to bigger pockets @Jessyca Jones.  For sure keep shopping around with lenders.  I used a credit union local to JC for my first multi family  purchase.  Stay active on BP,  commit yourself to just 15 minutes minimum per day and it will erase the overwhelming feeling in no time. Keep moving froward.