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Derek A.
  • Investor
  • Bronx, NY
9
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13
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Duplexs in Houston and Dallas

Derek A.
  • Investor
  • Bronx, NY
Posted Aug 10 2015, 10:59

Hey BP!

I'm a out of state investor with one SFH purchase under my belt in Austin Tx. For my second I'd like to get a duplex but Austin the duplex market thee is dissapearing.

So I'm looking towards Houston or Dallas to purchase a Duplex and figured I'd reach out to BP.  

Zip codes to look in [and stay away from], comments, thoughts - any and all advice would be much appreciated!!

Thanks!

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101
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Iman Yu
  • IT Professional
  • Houston, TX
47
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101
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Iman Yu
  • IT Professional
  • Houston, TX
Replied Sep 23 2015, 07:56

@Derek A.  I’ve been hunting for a duplex deal in Houston as well. I’ve checked out a few in person and looked a few more on Google map street view. I also talked to my realtor and PM’s in the area as well.

The thing to keep in mind about them is even though they can cash flow better than SFH, they tend to be in class C or D neighborhoods so if you aren't going to manage them yourself, you'd have to run them by a PM first.

I’d say it’s better to stay away from between Beechnut, Bissonnet, 1876 and S. Kirckwood area.

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101
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47
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Iman Yu
  • IT Professional
  • Houston, TX
47
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101
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Iman Yu
  • IT Professional
  • Houston, TX
Replied Sep 23 2015, 08:00

@Derek A.  I’ve been hunting for a duplex deal in Houston as well. I’ve checked out a few in person and looked a few more on Google map street view. I also talked to my realtor and PM’s in the area as well.

The thing to keep in mind about them is even though they can cash flow better than SFH, they tend to be in class C or D neighborhoods so if you aren't going to manage them yourself, you'd have to run them by a PM first.

I’d say it’s better to stay away from between Beechnut, Bissonnet, 1876 and S. Kirckwood area.

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User Stats

101
Posts
47
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Iman Yu
  • IT Professional
  • Houston, TX
47
Votes |
101
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Iman Yu
  • IT Professional
  • Houston, TX
Replied Sep 23 2015, 08:01

@Derek A.  I’ve been hunting for a duplex deal in Houston as well. I’ve checked out a few in person and looked a few more on Google map street view. I also talked to my realtor and PM’s in the area as well.

The thing to keep in mind about them is even though they can cash flow better than SFH, they tend to be in class C or D neighborhoods so if you aren't going to manage them yourself, you'd have to run them by a PM first.

I’d say it’s better to stay away from between Beechnut, Bissonnet, 1876 and S. Kirckwood area.

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Leigh Ann Smith
  • Manvel, TX
127
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309
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Leigh Ann Smith
  • Manvel, TX
Replied Sep 24 2015, 18:41

@Derek A., Houston doesn't have the density of small multi-families that some other cities have.  I think it might be because land was always relatively cheap here.  Development just kept heading further out of town.  @Iman Yu is right that many of them are in the lower income neighborhoods.  

One way to assess the neighborhood from a distance is to look up the ratings of the schools nearest to the property you're considering.  It's not a foolproof method of evaluating neighborhoods, but it's a place to start.

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Naeem Kapasi
  • Investor
  • San Antonio, TX
66
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227
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Naeem Kapasi
  • Investor
  • San Antonio, TX
Replied Sep 26 2015, 09:27

@Derek A. I am looking for MFP in Houston as well, and by looking at Trulia, I'd say to stay away from this (look at map below, it's south-west Houston) area, as you can see a lot of it is red. Now I don't know how much to depend and trust on Trulia data..I don't live in Houston - yet - so haven't really checked those neighborhoods out yet, maybe som of the Houston residents know better?