I currently am working an engineering job in the area and am very interested in real estate.    

If you don't know how to achieve your goal, reverse engineer it. 

My husband is a civil engineer so he has a skill set that we think might be useful if we take that angle but it's just hard to tell what the market is like.

Employed full time as a Civil Engineer.

I am a Mechanical Engineering Graduate 2013.

Financing is another issue - we are used to low down payments and 30 year fixed interest rate loans - which is the engine of the US hounsing market.

Undercut the cost of a dorm room and get a serious upper level student, not a freshman, (like pre-med or engineering) and you should do well.  

I stumbled upon BiggerPockets while I was researching different careers that line up with my interests:PlanningBusiness and Business ManagementInteracting with peopleSystem designBuilding and ConstructionDesign and visual productionNot having a traditional full time desk jobPassive income that would give me the freedom to work another job that I enjoyed but didn't make that much moneySince I was young I knew that I wanted to do something that related to engineering, and I have always had a passion for building, designing and working with my hands.

Depending on your needs to properly update any property, I can provide the contractor and/or engineer, that you might need. 

I have been an RA twice, worked two other jobs, and had three engineering summer internships through my four years.