Build Apartment Complex or Purchase One? SF Bay Area

Build Apartment Complex or Purchase One? SF Bay Area

Rental Property Investor · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 0 votes

Hi All,

First post here, glad to discover such a wonderful platform to meet other like minded people.

I'm currently in an interesting investing situation and would love input from other investors!

I'm looking at a few properties to purchase and have narrowed it down to 2.

One is a quad-plex apartment building worth about ~$2mil, and the other is a single family home situated on a hill next to the downtown. Purchasing the quad-plex would be straightforward, although gross rental income would only be around $100k/yr. Purchasing the other house to demo and reconstruct an 8-10 unit MFR would generate much more income for the long run, but we would have to put in a large initial investment and take quite a hit in terms of time.

My main concern is that I have interest in demolishing the house and creating a multi family residential, but we are totally new to this so I don't think it'll be a great idea. We are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to single family homes, duplexes and basic commercial properties, but we have never looked into large apartment buildings. 

Some info:

- The city actually pushes for development of the property into an MFR up to 20 units.

- The front part of the house is totally flat, but the house itself is up a steep hill which is flat on top as well.

- The house itself is quite beautiful and generates $5-5500 in rent per month if we do not demolish and rebuild. 

- Right next to the property is a 20 unit apartment complex, 3 stories, worth $10mil and generates about $650k in gross rental income.

- We have 6 other properties in the South Bay Area, almost no mortgage so I believe we have a higher risk threshold.

Does anyone know roughly how much it would cost to build up to a 10 unit MFR, timeline, etc? We have roughly a budget of around $2-3mil excluding acquiring the property without financing for this particular deal and would look into a construction loan if necessary. I know when it comes to construction every project is unique, but I would like to know if anyone has done anything like this in the Bay Area (Peninsula down to San Jose Area).

I welcome any and all insight, much appreciated and thank you to all who took the time to read!

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Specialist · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2015 · 909 posts · 297 votes
7y

oh yea, foundation costs will definitely increase if you have to level dirt or increase pier or slab to slope

See this reply in the discussion

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  • Nick GiulioniPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Carmel, IN · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 615 votes
    7y

    I'm very curious to hear what others think about this!

  • Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2018 · 183 posts · 172 votes
    7y

    @Wesley Hu like you said your worried about the time being built. What is your strategy/exit strategy? Most developers will develop the an apartment complex with the intention to sell it. 

    Is this something you're looking to do or are you looking for cash flow, etc? 

    Either way, I'd speak to developers to get there take on this to see realistically how long it would take to develop the land. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    @Matthew Baltzell Our strategy is to hold it in the long term for cash flow, as apartment buildings in the Bay Area are extremely sought after, appreciate soundly year on year and generate great income.

    I’m not sure where to find reputable developers as this would be our first time venturing into possibly developing a place.

    Thank you for your response.

  • Real Estate Broker · San Jose, CA · Member since 2016 · 33 posts · 17 votes
    7y

    It sounds to me that the approval process in this case wouldn't be too painful, as the city is encouraging this development and the property is abutting another property of this type. What is the Zoning/General Plan?  

  • Specialist · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2015 · 909 posts · 297 votes
    7y

    talk to the city.. get approval and then start calling and pricing contractors, in our area we are looking at 60- 90$ per sq ft for additions

  • Michael DangPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 454 posts · 273 votes
    7y

    I'm not from SF, but I watched a news video story about how local SF city governments really make it difficult for MF developers, even though all the guidelines, regulations, and rules were followed.  Also, local residents or the community may not like as they are afraid of changing the demographics and culture of the neighborhood.  I could be totally wrong about this.  In the news story, the developer was still at a standstill with the city after 4 years.

    Take this with a grain of salt.

    I'd talk to other local developers and see what their experiences are.

  • Rental Property Investor · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    The previous owner of the properties actually fought against the city to keep R1 residential zoning and only recently got approval to keep it. The city has been pressuring the selling party to create MF up to 20 units as its a large plot right next to downtown. @Account Closed

  • Real Estate Broker · San Jose, CA · Member since 2016 · 33 posts · 17 votes
    7y

    I don’t understand why they would do that. It decreases the value of their property. Let’s PM and I’ll see what other info I can provide. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    The Zoning the city pushes for is planned development zone (PD), although it is an R1 now. The property is a 1min walk into downtown, and the surrounding properties are all renovated upscale MFR. The city seems to push for development as there is a shortage of housing in the bay area.

  • Rental Property Investor · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    @Justin Kane In our area the pricing in general is $150-200/sqft for a normal home (more for upscale materials), so I'm quite worried building an MFR on hilly land will cost significantly more.

  • Specialist · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2015 · 909 posts · 297 votes
    7y

    oh yea, foundation costs will definitely increase if you have to level dirt or increase pier or slab to slope

  • Rental Property Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    What city or town is this in? Hard to give decent advice without knowing. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2019 · 9 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    @Amit M. I am looking at Belmont or Cupertino. Which do you think has more potential?

  • Member since 2020 · 4 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    Hi Wesley,

    Ran into this article just now and was wondering if you did go with this deal or not? If you did, will be great to hear about your experience and outcome.

    I have mostly done investments in single family and have done additions/renovations in Bay Area. Have been looking into similar situations as they are better positioned with the scarcity of available MF deals. Off course, these are very much more involved in terms of investment, effort, timing, and team size.

    Thanks

    Kumar

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