Hudson, Essex, or union counties is what I'm really looking for..thank you 

Then credit unions, then regional banks.

Hard money, crowd funding, credit union lending. 

Start with small local banks and credit unions.

My hubby is a seasoned journeyman carpenter with a good number of contractor connections nearby, and he's eager to stop working as a Union carpenter and put all of his energy into real estate investing.2.

@Greg Junge Have you tried a commercial lender at a small local bank or credit union?

For example, when I run the numbers you could get close to a 7% cap rate on a currently listed property like this:    http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/2336-2346-Union-St-San-Diego-CA/11627289/

I’d also suggest checking your local banks and credit unions.

I would go talk to local credit unions and see what programs they are offering.  

This does not apply to small lender and credit unions does it?