Currently House Hacking What My Next Step

[Clint Bradley]

Hello everyone — I’m currently house hacking and have been since 2018. I own one property and have been actively trying to purchase a side-by-side duplex in the south metro, ideally with at least one 3-bedroom unit.

My biggest challenge right now is inventory. I’ve had searches set up for quite some time (I’m also a realtor) and I’ve been actively prospecting the specific neighborhoods I want to be in, but I’m coming up empty.

Because of this, I’m curious to hear opinions on an alternative strategy: buying a single-family home or townhome in my target area, living in it for 1–2 years, then renting it out while continuing to look for a multifamily property. Multifamily is still the long-term goal, but it simply doesn’t seem available in this area right now.

Switching areas isn’t an option due to my kids’ school and nearby family, so I’m trying to decide if this “stepping stone” approach makes sense or if it’s better to wait it out for the right duplex. I’d appreciate any insight from those who’ve faced a similar situation.

[Brandon Cormier]

Hey Clint,

Have you thought about doing a broker/agent outreach? calling around all the top sellers in that area to get on some email lists for off markets, or seeing if they have anything current or in the pipeline. As Tre mentioned if you're not already, start attending some local meetups as well and tell everyone what you're looking for.

Purchasing the single family too, may hurt your ability to qualify for more multis in the future. Depending on what that does to your DTI