Owner Occupied Financing

[Brian Quinn]

Hello all, very new to the real estate world and brand new to BP!  I would like to house hack in the central Wisconsin area.  I will be moving to the area in October 2019 so I have some time, but if anyone could help point me in the right direction for finding an owner occupied loan, it would be extremely helpful (never applied for a home loan before, this will be my first).  Best ways to shop around for a loan like this?  Should I just start by looking for a good Realtor who can help me with this?

[Zack Karp]

@Brian Quinn  Welcome to BP!  Yes you will want to get with a realtor to look at properties, but any great realtor will want to see that you are preapproved first before spending time showing you properties.  Make sure you do your homework on the lender though.  Many banks and online lenders are call centers and order takers.  You need a LO that specializes in working with investors and positioning you for success now and later, there's a big difference.  I can't tell you how many times I have seen potential house hackers stuck after 1 year because their lender didn't help set them up for success with the next property at the beginning.

Best of luck!