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.

House hacking is using an owner occupant loan to get into a home or a 2-4 unit property.

Somewhere in the middle is likely your best bet for a 20 year timeline.I have almost 50 units here myself and that's about what my portfolio is cash flowing at this point combined LTV is around 65% as loans have gotten paid down and values have went up.

These are the key to getting a loan.  

You can buy a rental house, put $60,000 down and you will have to get a non-recourse loan for the rest of the mortgage.

Maybe if you had a good, secure location to store things you could pre-order stuff you think you might need for your next project(s) and stockpile it.

When this person goes bankrupt in the next recession, this loan will be part of bankruptcy proceedings.

You need income to qualify for loans, you can learn how to manage rentals well (something most landlords never do), you will figure out which communities/properties make the best investments, can earn an above-average paycheck, and may even find some investment properties before they hit the market.

Conventional 30 year loan.

Consider all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.