New North Jersey Investor Looking to Connect!

[Michael Gaither]

Hey all!

I'm MJ - looking to begin house hacking in North Jersey. I work at a record label in Manhattan and live in in Jersey City with my fiance but looking to buy Q1 of next year. I'm thinking of purchasing a multi-family in Newark and growing from there. I came across biggerpockets from a podcast and wanted to check it out. Looking to connect with other house hackers, agents, property managers etc as I begin the process. Any advice and feedback is appreciated. 

[Jackie Carmichael]

MJ — welcome to BiggerPockets! Love that you’re already thinking about house hacking in Newark. A few quick tips as you prep for Q1:

• Run Numbers Conservatively: Factor in PITI, maintenance, mgmt (even if self-managing at first), and vacancy. Make sure the deal cash flows even if one unit is empty.

• Neighborhood Selection: In Newark, it’s block-by-block. Look for areas near transit lines where demand stays strong (college tenants, commuters).

• Financing Strategy: FHA or 5% down conventional are great entry points for house hackers. You can later refinance into a DSCR or rental loan once the property stabilizes.

• Build a Team Early: A solid agent, lender, and PM are critical — they’ll help you find, underwrite, and manage so you can scale faster.

On my side, I help house hackers and small multi buyers line up financing — both for the first purchase and the refinance down the road. If you want, I can share the analyzer I use to quickly stress-test deals so you’ll know what to expect before making offers.

Curious — are you leaning toward a duplex/triplex to start, or aiming straight for 4 units?