I want to get into investing into multi family

[Samuel Munoz]

Hi guys, i turn 17 in a month and graduate high school next year. Im really interested in investing into multi family real estate or any real estate, i heard about it through my dads boss. I dont really know where i should start or what i should to right now to prepare, if you guys have any tips or can help me out let me know thanks!

[Twana Rasoul]

San Diego investor here. Been doing this full time for nearly 7 years and own multifamily myself. Here's my honest take for someone starting out:

Stop trying to find cash flow on day one in San Diego. It's an appreciation market. The strategy that actually works here is house hacking a 2-4 unit. Live in one unit, rent the others, reduce your housing cost to near zero, build equity, then pull equity in 3-5 years and repeat.

That said, cash flow IS doable in San Diego but only through value-add. That means buying a property with below-market rents and bringing them up, and/or adding an ADU. Garage conversions are one of the best plays right now. Lower cost to build compared to ground-up ADUs, and they add a rentable unit that can meaningfully move your numbers.

I've seen clients go from zero properties to almost a dozen units in 5 years using this exact playbook. The first deal is always the hardest. The second one is almost always funded by the equity from the first.

What's your timeline and are you planning to owner-occupy? That determines whether we're looking at FHA on a duplex or 5% down conventional on a triplex or fourplex.