The biggest mistake I see out of state investors make is relying on others too much for direction and guidance instead of doing their own due diligence and building their own team that they actually meet and interviewRelying on one person who alleges that they have a 'team' built already that you can use as well can be a costly mistake.

For funding, explore options like FHA loans, personal savings, or creative financing, and focus on New Jersey markets that align with your goals, such as Newark for rentals or commuter towns for house hacking.

Can confirm Joseph is a real person 

I had the initial call with a PadSplit sales person, but I wanted to talk to somebody who's actually doing it to get their perspective and advice.

It's been 2.5 years since I purchased my first property and now that everything in my personal life has slowed down I'm back on the horse and ready to find my next investment.

@Matt Solis would be the perfect person to speak to about this!

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

Also, get all personal info (DOB, SSN) from the seller in case needed when talking to lenders, lienholders, etc.

If you make the person an LLC employee you can get around it, but partner does need to be careful. 

HELOCs are fine, but keep in mind that you really only want to use 50 percent of less (each) of your available equity just so you aren't creating a problem that you can't solve later if the value of your personal residences fluctuates.If you both have W2 jobs though, have you looked into getting qualified together and just getting a loan, 10 percent down each?