Getting started--what was your first property in Bergen?

[Carol C.]

Hi everyone, recently joined and am excited to get started on real estate investing. A little about me--I live in Bergen County with my husband and two kids, and during the day I work as senior in-house counsel at an investment bank. While we are objectively high earners, this area has such a high cost of living, so we are not going to become wealthy any time soon on our double W-2 income. I am looking to get into real estate investing to build wealth, maximize tax savings and provide our family with some flexibility. 

I'm still very much in the beginning stages of learning and putting together my plan of action, but curious to see how others do it in Bergen County where the housing prices are so high. What was your first property? How did you finance it? How much did you finance? My goal is to buy something small (1-2br condo) in the next 18-24 months, and see where it goes from there.

Thank you!