New to BP, new to REI, new to USA. I have alot to learn

[Shonari Wynter]

Hello Bigger pockets,

I am a new member. I currently live in Orangeburg, South Carolina. My ignorance is through the roof when it comes on to REI so my goal is to take part in these forums to learn as much as I can. I have started looking at homes on realtor.com, I have also started driving around my neighborhood while taking notes of potential homes to purchase. However, I feel I am at a disadvantage in three ways:

1. Everytime I ask to see the inside of a property the real estate agent asks about financing and they wont allow me to see without. My financing is not 100% in order but I cant see why I cant view the property to figure out if it's a good deal or not.

2. I just moved to the USA 2 years ago from Jamaica therefore I only have a permanent resident card, i am also just building credit so it's around 625; I heard these facrtors can be a problem getting a loan, however, i should be able to get around this issue because my wife is a citizen, has a great income and her credit is about 700.

3. I do not have any network in orangeburg and I dont know where to start, I dont even know if this is a good area to invest in. I think this is my biggest issue but I am sure being apart of this group will help me overcome all my obstacles.

[Andrew R. Lucas]

Hey @Shonari Wynter I'm impressed that you are working toward you goal of investing!  So many people see the obstacles you have and dont even start.  

You could come up to Columbia for our Meetup and get to know some other investors and realtors in your area.  

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/763998-rei-live-columbia-sc-meet-up?page=1#p4489275