Is seeing half of a duplex for sale common?

Is seeing half of a duplex for sale common?

Member since 2020 · 7 posts · 1 vote

Hey everyone!  I'm new to this and recently started learning to analyze properties.  I'm running into quite a few duplex properties that seem like only one half is for sale.  Is this common?

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Mack BensonPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Woodbury, MN · Member since 2018 · 299 posts · 299 votes
5y

In Minnesota you can find twin homes up to quad homes where each can be owned and sold by a separate party. The easiest way I have found to tell the difference is that in the twin-quad home, each of the connected homes will have their own property ID assigned whereas a duplex to quad-plex will all be under one PID. If you are having trouble determining it on the counties website by address search most counties have a gis map tool you can use.

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  • Rental Property Investor · Garden Grove, CA · Member since 2012 · 100 posts · 69 votes
    5y

    Hi, not sure what part of the country you're in but I think it depends on the area. I've never heard of that in SoCal. However in the Twin Cities area you find those and they're called "twin homes". Still attached like a townhome but no HOA.

  • Real Estate Broker · Denver · Member since 2020 · 15 posts · 5 votes
    5y

    Hey Joe, This is super very common in the Denver Market. A lot of the newer builds, 2010+, will be built on a 6250 sqft lot. A builder will build a duplex on the lot and sell each of the sides to home owners, normally. 

  • Specialist · Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    5y

    @Daniel Kim they are all over the place here, maybe it is more common in the IE but I would've sworn they were more common in OC.

  • Real Estate Agent · Denver, CO · Member since 2020 · 103 posts · 65 votes
    5y

    @Joe Dingee If you are using a Realtor and your local MLS, you can ask you Realtor to try to filter out the half duplexes. In the Denver MLS, both sides of a duplex and small multifamilies actually have a separate search. These would fall under "Residential Income" whereas half duplexes would be listed under the "Residential" search.

    Happy Analyzing! 

  • Member since 2020 · 7 posts · 1 vote
    5y

    I appreciate everyones input!  Thanks.

  • Rental Property Investor · Northern, CA · Member since 2012 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    5y

    @Joe Dingee  They have them in my market too (they call them half-plexes here).  Just be careful because you never know  what you're getting into with the other property owner that's attached to yours.  You might run into problems like this: Half of Duplex - Need Roof

  • Mack BensonPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Woodbury, MN · Member since 2018 · 299 posts · 299 votes
    5y

    In Minnesota you can find twin homes up to quad homes where each can be owned and sold by a separate party. The easiest way I have found to tell the difference is that in the twin-quad home, each of the connected homes will have their own property ID assigned whereas a duplex to quad-plex will all be under one PID. If you are having trouble determining it on the counties website by address search most counties have a gis map tool you can use.

  • Realtor · Bloomington MN (bloomington, mn) · Member since 2016 · 451 posts · 263 votes
    5y

    @Joe Dingee here we call those twin homes. You can go to the assessors and have them do whats called a combination and they can combine the two properties as one. But 1. you have to own both sides. 2 that would lower the value by a lot. You should get an MLS email of only multi-family properties.

  • Rental Property Investor · Westminster, MD · Member since 2014 · 165 posts · 221 votes
    5y

    @Joe Dingee

    Very common in the Maryland market. Its basically like a town house.

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