Georgia House Hacker Seeking Fixer-Upper Duplex — Sweat Equity Ready!

[Hermia Bernard]

Hi BP Community!

My husband and I are ready to begin our real estate journey through house hacking, and we want to start with an owner-occupied multifamily property—ideally a duplex. Our goal is to live in one unit and rent out the other.

We’re based in Coweta County, GA, but we’re open to other neighborhoods and counties in Georgia with solid rental demand and decent appreciation potential. Affordability is key, so we’re primarily looking for fixer-uppers that need some TLC. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and handle painting, cleaning (inside & out), basic plumbing, landscaping, and more. We want to create value with sweat equity.

We’ve already started scanning listings on Zillow and Realtor.com and researching the Georgia market, but we’d love to hear from others who’ve gone down this road:

• Any neighborhoods or markets in GA you’d recommend for beginner house hackers?

• What are some less obvious red flags to watch for in a fixer-upper?

• How do you determine the right balance of work vs. potential return in a live-in reno?

• 
  Thanks in advance for any insights!