All Forum Posts by: Greg De Sciscio

Welcome to BiggerPockets, and congrats on saving 10k!

I recommend you start to narrow your focus and define your target. Are you looking to buy and hold? Flip? Will you start with condos, multi-family, etc?

While you are thinking about your strategy, search for local real estate meetups in the area. Attending those meetups can be a quick way to develop relationships. Put yourself around people who are doing what you want to do. You definitely want to start looking for an investor-friendly realtor, and you probably should speak to a lender in the area who can help you determine what you can afford. Best of luck!

@Tyler Drapeau Thank you for the link, that form is very helpful!

Hi @Tyler Drapeau! Yes, I've analyzed six properties so far using dealcheck.io but I'm still learning how to properly use the calculator. If I'm importing from the MLS directly into the calculator, can I assume that local market info (e.g. Property Tax) is accounted for accurately, or is this something I should be verifying and plugging in manually?

My real estate agent claims she can help find off-market deals, but are there other avenues I should be exploring to find these deals? REI groups, perhaps?

Congrats on your house hack in Morris County and best of luck on your next deal. Would love to connect and chat! I'll send you a DM. Thanks for the advice!

Thank you, @Darren Sager. It's inspiring to hear about your first house hack 20 years ago and how it's still effecting your life today (in a good way, I assume). I am starting to realize that "good deals" are hard to come by around here, but I'm hoping to find one that's "good enough" for an entry point. I don't expect to be able to completely eliminate my housing cost, but if I can keep my month-to-month out of pocket expenses under $1k I will be happy.

As for the markets I'm looking into, would you be willing to elaborate on which ones you believe to be more promising? I don't know if spouting out the specifics on what I can afford is considered bad etiquette, but I'm happy to share my info. As far as what type of renters I'm trying to attract, I suppose I'm aiming for responsible, middle-class families or individuals. I'm not very interested in high crime neighborhoods (Newark, Greenville, etc.) or "deadbeat" tenants. Not for my first house hack, anyway. Thank you again for your advice.

Hello BP,

My name is Greg and I'm new to the BiggerPockets community. I grew up and spent most of my life in Northern New Jersey. I currently work in Clifton as the Creative Director of a small web firm. I discovered BP through a friend about a month ago and have been listening to podcasts, reading the forums, guides, articles, and attending webinars (well, one so far). I've also been reading Chad Carson's Retire Early With Real Estate and am fascinated by the concepts and stories of other real estate investors.

At the beginning of 2016 I took control of my finances and aggressively paid my way out of $25k worth of credit card and student loan debt (huge "thank you" to the Personal Finance subreddit for being a fantastic resource). I began investing in stocks and retirement about two years ago, and now I believe I'm ready to get my feet wet with real estate.

I'm currently in the process of searching for my first property. My goal is to house hack a small multi-family (2–4 units) somewhere in North Jersey. I've been looking at the following markets:

• Jersey City
• Union City
• Lyndhurst
• Bloomfield
• Garfield
• North Arlington
• Kearny
• Wallington

I attended the "90 Day Challenge" webinar last Wednesday, and since then I've connected with a real estate agent and have been speaking with a couple of lenders to try and figure out my budget. The options here for multi-families in my price range are limited, but I believe I can make this work if I find a good enough deal.

I'm nervous, but excited about this new venture. I'd love to connect with investors, agents, contractors, lawyers, or anyone else in this wonderful community. I'm open to hearing any advice you'll give me. I'm already so grateful for what I've learned here, and I'm looking forward to meeting people and learning more.

Best,

Greg

Hi Brad,

Thank you for sharing. Your background and profession are fascinating, and your outline helped clarify some next steps for me.

I'm also living in Secaucus and looking to get started this year with my first property. I've been absorbing info from the BP forums and podcast, as well as reading Chad Carson's "Retire Early with Real Estate".

I'd be happy to chat over a coffee or beer if you're ever interested.

Best,

Greg