buying a duplex: How To Size Up A Duplex Deal - 05/24/12 04:36 AM
Sizing up a Duplex Deal is a whole lot more about money and the Bottom Line than about where the couch is going to fit. Buying a home is an emotional, right-brained, intuitive decision.  Buying an income-prodiucing property has to take some left-brain, bullet-point kinds of factors into considering.  If you decide that your home is going to be part of a multi-family property, lets work on a list of things you need to think about.
As you are looking at properties, put yourself into the shoes of a tenant.  Would you want to rent the place?  Is the neighborhood quiet … (3 comments)

buying a duplex: Getting a Mortgage to Buy a Duplex as an Owner-Occupant - 05/24/12 12:12 AM
If you buy a full duplex as an owner-occupant, you can finance up to 96.5% of the purchase price.  As an investor, you will be lucky to get 80% financing.
Mortgages.  You can have up to 4 mortgages that were set up as Owner-Occupant loans to begin with.  You can move out and not have to refinance the existing loan as long as certain occupancy criteria have been met.   And, you don’t have to just buy duplexes.  You can buy a property that has up to 4 units and still get an Owner-occupant rate .  You just have to live in … (1 comments)

buying a duplex: Owner-Occupied Duplex: Misc Issues to think about - 04/03/12 04:14 AM
If you are going to be an Owner-Occupant of a Duplex, there are some misc issues for you to think about...not everyone is cut out to be a landlord;  you have to actually occupy the property;  and you will only get property tax homestead exemption for half the property you occupy (spoiler warning...may be a Texas thing).
Being a Landlord.  Are you constitutionally capable of collecting rent and selecting tenants and making people move out if they don’t pay?     The general belief is that all Landlords are (undeservedly) rich.   If it were as easy to do as the middle-of-the-night Infomercials make … (1 comments)

buying a duplex: How is Looking for a Duplex Different Than Looking for a Stand-alone House? - 04/02/12 01:27 AM
If you are interested in buying a duplex rather than a stand-alone single family house, the actual search process has some interesting differences.  These observations are based on my experiences in Texas Markets.  In older parts of the country, where  more inventory may be single-family attached or duplexed, things may be wildly different.  I am only saying what things are like where I am!
MLS is not set up to sell duplexes.     It is set up to sell single family homes.  Residential rental property is truly a backwater area of the real estate world.  Multi-family structures (duplexes, tri-plexes, 4-plexes and apartment … (0 comments)

buying a duplex: Why a First-Time Home Buyer Should Consider Buying a Full Duplex - 01/17/12 12:46 AM
Part of my standard list of questions for a first time home buyer is to ask if they have considered buying a full duplex.  Buying a full duplex is a very practical alternative to the standard, stand alone single-family home.  A full duplex is another approach to the Great American Dream of Home Ownership.  A Duplex is both a place to live as well as a great long-term investment.   A two-family home can be a very practical way to combine objectives. 
Buying a full duplex is a reasonable approach to cash management and personal investment.  If the buyer sets out … (1 comments)