Realtor and Lender Recs in NYC Area

[Pablo Rodriguez]

Hello all,

First, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to reply to people's posts. It's amazing to see how many people are willing to share their knowledge and help others get started.

I'm beginning my search for my first house hack and wanted to tap into the community's experience.

A little about my situation:

• Looking for an owner-occupied 2–4 unit property.
• Target market: NYC metro area (primarily Northern New Jersey and nearby commuter markets, but I'm open to other suggestions).

I'm looking for recommendations for:

1. Mortgage lenders/brokers who specialize in owner-occupied multifamily financing and understand house hacking (FHA, conventional, low-down-payment options, rental income qualification, etc.).
2. Realtors who actively work with house hackers and small multifamily investors rather than primarily single-family home buyers.
3. Any professionals you've had a genuinely great experience with.

If you've personally worked with someone you'd recommend, I'd really appreciate it if you could share or DM me.

I'm doing my own due diligence and won't rely solely on recommendations, but I figured this community would be a great place to start building a shortlist.

Thanks in advance—I really appreciate any advice!