Hey everyone, I’m exploring house hacking with a duplex (live in one unit, rent out the other) and I’m wondering if it’s possible to apply the BRRRR strategy to a property like this. My thought process: • Buy the duplex with an FHA loan and live in it. • Rent out the other unit to help cover costs. • Renovate if needed to increase value. • Refinance to pull cash out. • Possibly repeat the process elsewhere. I’m curious if anyone has actually done this or knows the technical/logistical challenges. For example: • Does living in one unit affect your ability to refinance for BRRRR? • Are there restrictions because it’s FHA? • Does it still make sense financially if you’re only renting out part of the property initially? Would love to hear any experiences, tips, or warnings. Thanks!

@Denver McClure I sent you a dm!

It is absolutely possible. You do need to increase the value of the property though to be able to refinance. Perhaps start with the owners unit and then move to the other units as they are renovated.

Hey Brice! the key is how you structure the refinance after improvements. Many investors move into investor-focused products (like DSCR or bridge loans) once the property is stabilized, which allows them to pull equity and scale to the next deal. I sent you a DM let's connect!

Hey @Brice Peterson, this is exactly what I do and I am up to four investment properties so far! I love this strategy, its not flashy, it takes time but its a great way to build a trail of rentals and build a lot of equity along the way. Couple of thoughts: -FHA loans are great, sometimes they can be a hassle when you find a property that has a lot of equity upside, but just takes some good negotiations from your agent. We have used both, especially in competitive situations we have leaned towards Conventional 5% as sellers dont often want to deal with FHA. -I think you should definitely always be looking for two things with strategy, a 10% discount below market value or 10% equity that can be built through renovations as a starting point. This gives you a lot of options having that extra equity for down the line. - Refinancing while it is your primary is a lot cheaper - you may not always get the perfect rate or the perfect BRRRR, and that is okay, but being able to refinance at a lower cost and and lower your monthly can save you alot. The most important thing is taking action - most of the deals we jumped in did not look great on paper, but after putting in sweat equity, letting time be yourfriend, rents going up, and being able to pull a HELOC on each of the properties, after 5 years we have cash flow and of a quarter million in equity built to be able to use when needed. Just take action, you got this!

Absolutely possible. - right property - right loan product If scope of rehab is not crazy (drawn out), hard money could be an option, as most traditional loans don't want to loan fix up funds.

Hey @Brice Peterson, yes it is possible. I've done it twice with my FHA and VA loan before! Feel free to DM me, we can chat about the process and I can share my lessons learned.

Updated 8 days ago on 09/27/2025. Most recent reply

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Brice PetersonPoster

BRRRR - Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat

Is It Technically Possible to BRRRR a House Hack?

Brice PetersonPoster

Posted September 25, 2025 13:11

Hey everyone,

I’m exploring house hacking with a duplex (live in one unit, rent out the other) and I’m wondering if it’s possible to apply the BRRRR strategy to a property like this.

My thought process:

Buy the duplex with an FHA loan and live in it.
Rent out the other unit to help cover costs.
Renovate if needed to increase value.
Refinance to pull cash out.
Possibly repeat the process elsewhere.

I’m curious if anyone has actually done this or knows the technical/logistical challenges. For example:

Does living in one unit affect your ability to refinance for BRRRR?
Are there restrictions because it’s FHA?
Does it still make sense financially if you’re only renting out part of the property initially?

Would love to hear any experiences, tips, or warnings.

Thanks!

Columbia, South Carolina

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