Diving in. House Hacking a Duplex in Philadelphia (Manayunk)

Diving in. House Hacking a Duplex in Philadelphia (Manayunk)

Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes

Hey All, 

Newer member here, but have digested hours and hours material on this fantastic site. 

So far, I own an out of state rental in NC, a duplex in Northeast Philly and am about to close on a duplex in Manayunk in a few weeks. Currently I'm renting an apt in the city with the GF (city living was a priority in my single days) and after months of frustration with paying high rent, a move had to be made. (Thanks to Rich Dad Poor Dad for the extra push to cut expenses)

The property in Manayunk needs about 20- 30k of work; depending on how much owe do ourselves, but we plan to house hack our way to a BRRR.

Purchase Price - 150k, 4.5% investment loan, 25 percent down.

Zillow Estimate is 235k, but I think the property could easily sell for 250k when all repairs are completed. 

Mortgage Payment with Tax and Insurance - Roughly 850 

Rent - 900 to 1100 for the front 1BR unit. 

1200 to 1500 for 2 BR rear unit. 

We will live in the rear 2 BR unit for at-least a year and then will hold the property as a long term rental. Have been looking around for a duplex in that area for over 6 months, but haven't been able to find anything that met our criteria for under 225k, so we jumped on this opportunity and snatched up the property within 3 days of listing. 

The plan is to refinance the property after repairs, and hopefully pull 15-20% out and repeat on another Multi Family unit. 

My only fear is that I tapped into my 401k for a loan, but the interest rate is the same as the mortgage, so I counted that as a wash. 

Any thoughts on the move? Anyone else have any experience in the Manayunk area? Honestly, I'm a little nervous about being so leveraged out (400k in mortgages, 5 units) but a big change had to be made. 

Thanks for reading and letting me vent all of that out a bit. 

4Reply
65 views

Most Popular Reply

Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2017 · 14 posts · 1 vote
9y

Oh thats awesome! Thanks Glenn!

See this reply in the discussion

17 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2014 · 351 posts · 80 votes
    9y

    Good for you @Glenn Russo. I don't have any experience in that area, but it is a good area for rentals.

    Best of luck to you

  • Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2011 · 253 posts · 112 votes
    9y

    @Glenn Russo

    I have a lot of mortgages myself, so understand the concern about being over-leveraged!  As long as you have a plan to pay back your 401K after a cash-out refi, you should be fine!  I think you can only get 65% on cash out refis using conventional residential mortgages (30 year)?  

    My husband and I are house hacking and totally loving it.  Living for free (possible in Indianapolis) is a beautiful thing.  Let me know if you have any specific questions that I might be able to answer.  

    Making big moves can be really scary, but it sounds like you're on a great path to real estate success!  

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Louise A.:

    @Glenn Russo

    I have a lot of mortgages myself, so understand the concern about being over-leveraged!  As long as you have a plan to pay back your 401K after a cash-out refi, you should be fine!  I think you can only get 65% on cash out refis using conventional residential mortgages (30 year)?  

    My husband and I are house hacking and totally loving it.  Living for free (possible in Indianapolis) is a beautiful thing.  Let me know if you have any specific questions that I might be able to answer.  

    Making big moves can be really scary, but it sounds like you're on a great path to real estate success!  

     Thanks for the feedback! We just got the appraisal back on the property and are good to close on 11/22. Next steps will be to get some costing estimates on a kitchen and a bathroom. Ever use Amazon services? I put a feeler out there and have received several responses for free quotes. 

  • Vendor · North Bergen, NJ · Member since 2015 · 15 posts · 4 votes
    9y

    I'd be happy to help you with the K&B materials / labor estimates, even if you source the materials elsewhere.  Send me a message if interested. Thanks!

  • Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2011 · 253 posts · 112 votes
    9y

    @Glenn Russo

    I haven't used Amazon Services.  Great news that the appraisal is good and that you're closing tomorrow!  Congratulations!  

  • Rental Property Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2016 · 215 posts · 42 votes
    9y

    @Glenn Russo how did this work out for you?

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    Just an update here. 

    We finished the front unit and decided to make it a AirBNB property. It's been about 2 weeks and we have 2 five star reviews so far. The unit is already booking at a 45-55 percent occupancy rate for April, May and June. At this current OR, we are already cash flowing more than what the unit would rent for. We've made the process fairly easy with keyback locks and I pay the GF to clean the unit. 

    We started demo and reno on the rear unit this weekend (We live in this unit and are currently house camping!) We are slated to finish the renovation by mid May, which is our 6 month mark. From there, we will cash out refi somewhere between 50-80k. 

    Next goal is to find another property close by in Manayunk and repeat the process. 

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    Feel free to take a look at our pictures. 

    https://goo.gl/photos/wZKuP9HSiwPYW9Tx8

  • Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2017 · 14 posts · 1 vote
    9y

    Wow, absolutely gorgeous rehab!! It looks like you did a lot of the work yourself?

    As someone whose recently relocated from NJ to Philadelphia with a plan to house hack, I'd love to know what were the driving factors that led you to investing in Manayunk instead of neighborhoods closer to the city. In my own research, I've read a lot about up and coming neighborhoods like Brewerytown and Kensington for flipping, but not many are talking about house hacking in these areas. 

    Also, you said it took you six months to find the right deal - did you find it on the MLS or through another avenue?

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    Hey Shantavie - I saw the property pop up on my MLS feed and put in an offer that day. We chose manayunk mostly because of the smaller town feel while being close to the city. I also work out in the burbs so shaving some time off the commute was also a factor.

    Brewerytown is an area I'm very interested in. It's come a long way and I think has a long way to go. We just didn't want to live in that area right now. 

  • Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2017 · 14 posts · 1 vote
    9y

    Oh thats awesome! Thanks Glenn!

  • Harrisburg, PA · Member since 2014 · 15 posts · 4 votes
    9y

    Glenn - thanks for sharing. The rehab looks awesome - some great choices on your finishes. The Air BNB is angle is great as well - if that takes off you could have great cash flow on just the front unit. My first home was a duplex house hack and now it's a

    staple in our rental portfolio. Keep us posted on the back unit !

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    Heres our shared album for the live in rear unit reno. (Coffee maker in full use in the bathroom)

    https://goo.gl/photos/NGrRLe4dca57zLnj7

    Timeline is this... Bought the duplex in November, moved into rear unit in December. Reno'ed the front, started rear reno last week. We plan to stay here for at least a year. Refi to owner occupied should take place in late May.  

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Brandon Neiss:

    Glenn - thanks for sharing. The rehab looks awesome - some great choices on your finishes. The Air BNB is angle is great as well - if that takes off you could have great cash flow on just the front unit. My first home was a duplex house hack and now it's a

    staple in our rental portfolio. Keep us posted on the back unit !

    Thanks Brandon. April is our first full month of Airbnb. We are currently at 60 percent occupancy. We need about 25 percent occupancy to cover the mortgage. Anything more than that should be cash flow :) - May and June occupancy is already at +35%

  • Member since 2022 · 1 post · 0 votes
    4y

    I am younger than you and trying to do the exact same thing (househack a duplex in Philly). I actually found this post because I ran across your listing on Zillow. Absolutely unreal you are able to list this at 450k when you bought and renovated for less than 200.


    Do you have any advice on accomplishing something like this given the state of the current market in Philly?

  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @David M DeStephano:

    I am younger than you and trying to do the exact same thing (househack a duplex in Philly). I actually found this post because I ran across your listing on Zillow. Absolutely unreal you are able to list this at 450k when you bought and renovated for less than 200.


    Do you have any advice on accomplishing something like this given the state of the current market in Philly?


     We actually sold that property at 450k a few months ago. The unit did well, but was our least performing property in the portfolio. 

    That property propelled us to grow a STR company where we own/manage 17 listings now.

    Hit me up if you want to chat

  • Member since 2023 · 1 post · 0 votes
    3y

    Hey Glenn,

    I just shot you a connection request right now explaining my situation (according to this thread, it's very similar to your start in location and intended investment strategy, it seems).

    As you suggested to David, I'd love to connect as well if you might be free this week. I'd love to pick your brain around this area and your STR strategy, if you'd be up to it?

    Let me know, appreciate it!

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.