Instead I want to take advantage of the opportunity I have of living rent free to invest my time and money in STR's to hopefully build that portfolio up and eventually make that my main source of income (I understand that will take time).

The problem is mainly a concern for people with a net worth or reasonable income. 

After doing research on the market (see above noted indicators) and creating an investor deck (mainly to prove to  myself as the main capital provider.

Your main issues will be eggress, as usual in a basement.

It's in on a Main St in an small town in NJ.

My main goal with BiggerPockets is to connect with other investors and hopefully build a reliable network of lenders, property managers, contractors, and agents.

What’s your main focus, or what are you hoping to get out of your journey here?

Mainly the "self sufficiency test". 

As a licensed Real Estate Broker in Maine, I managed the acquisition and renovation of 1272 Lakins Rd, Etna, leveraging my expertise and industry knowledge.

The other main way I did it was by just telling people that I invest and kind of just talking about it all the time.