New here – turning 23 and planning my first house hack in the next few years

Hartford, Connecticut
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New here – turning 23 and planning my first house hack in the next few years

Cody Voorhies
New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
Hey everyone, I’m new to BiggerPockets and wanted to introduce myself. I’m turning 23 soon and just starting to seriously get into real estate investing. Right now, I’m working full-time and trying to learn as much as I can before jumping into my first deal. My goal is to buy a house hack within the next 2–3 years, most likely a duplex, triplex, or fourplex where I can live in one unit and rent out the others. So far, I’ve read The Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner, which gave me a great overall foundation. Now I’m trying to focus more specifically on house hacking and small multifamily properties. I’m planning to invest somewhere around the Hartford County area and aiming for B or C class neighborhoods—I want something solid and safe, but still with good upside. A couple things I’m working on right now: Saving aggressively for a down payment Learning how to analyze small multifamily deals Figuring out the best financing route for a first deal If anyone has been in a similar position, I’d love to hear: What books or resources helped you the most early on? Anything you wish you knew before your first house hack? Any general advice for someone planning their first deal a few years out? Looking forward to learning from everyone here. Thanks!
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  • Dominic Mazzarella
    Investor · Hendersonville, NC · Member since 2016 · 498 posts · 285 votes
    5mo
    Quote from @Cody Voorhies:
    Hey everyone, I’m new to BiggerPockets and wanted to introduce myself. I’m turning 23 soon and just starting to seriously get into real estate investing. Right now, I’m working full-time and trying to learn as much as I can before jumping into my first deal. My goal is to buy a house hack within the next 2–3 years, most likely a duplex, triplex, or fourplex where I can live in one unit and rent out the others. So far, I’ve read The Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner, which gave me a great overall foundation. Now I’m trying to focus more specifically on house hacking and small multifamily properties. I’m planning to invest somewhere around the Hartford County area and aiming for B or C class neighborhoods—I want something solid and safe, but still with good upside. A couple things I’m working on right now: Saving aggressively for a down payment Learning how to analyze small multifamily deals Figuring out the best financing route for a first deal If anyone has been in a similar position, I’d love to hear: What books or resources helped you the most early on? Anything you wish you knew before your first house hack? Any general advice for someone planning their first deal a few years out? Looking forward to learning from everyone here. Thanks!

    Welcome to BP, you’re getting started at a good time and way ahead of most people just by thinking about this at 23. If you’re a couple years out, I’d focus less on more books and more on getting reps. Start analyzing deals in your market now, even if you’re not buying yet. After a while you’ll start to see what actually pencils and what doesn’t. 

    For your first house hack, keep it simple. Look for something solid in a decent area where the numbers mostly work and you won’t hate living there for a year or two. At the same time, start building your local network now with agents, lenders, and other investors in Hartford. That stuff compounds and makes your first deal a lot easier when you’re ready.

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    • Cody Voorhies
      OP
      New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
      5mo

      @Dominic Mazzarella

      Appreciate the advice Dominic. That definitely seems to be the common theme I’m hearing — just getting reps in analyzing deals before I’m actually ready to buy. I’ve recently started underwriting duplexes/triplexes around Connecticut and it’s been eye opening seeing how different the numbers can be depending on the area and condition. I also agree on building the network early since I feel like that’s probably one of the biggest advantages once I’m ready to actually pull the trigger.

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  • Aaron ZimmermanBusiness Member
    Accountant · Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5mo

    I would recommend getting a sewer scope and vet any inherited tenants 

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    • Cody Voorhies
      OP
      New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
      5mo

      @Aaron Zimmerman 

      Good point on the sewer scope and inherited tenants. I feel like those are two things a lot of first-time buyers probably overlook because everyone focuses on the purchase price and rent numbers. Definitely something I’ll keep in mind when I start seriously looking at properties.

      0Reply
  • G. Brian DavisPro Member
    Investor · Hatboro, PA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 862 votes
    5mo

    Hi @Cody Voorhies welcome! If you’re a few years out, the biggest advantage you can build now is deal analysis and local market knowledge. Start underwriting real duplexes and triplexes in Hartford every week and track what actually cash flows. You’ll start to see patterns fast.

    0Reply
    • Cody Voorhies
      OP
      New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
      5mo

      @G. Brian Davis 

      Thanks Brian, I appreciate it. I’ve started looking at duplexes and triplexes in Hartford County already and I’m realizing pretty quickly that what looks like a good deal at first glance doesn’t always actually cash flow once you factor everything in. I think getting familiar with the market over the next couple years will help me feel way more confident when it’s finally time to buy.

      0Reply
  • William Rizer
    Member since 2023 · 79 posts · 27 votes
    5mo

    Id say, figure out what you want to do as a career first then get in the game! If you like what you do, and wanna make a career of it....y wait? You can get 100% Down payment assistance right now. 23 is a great age to be house hacking! Keep doing what youre doing, analyze deals in your target area now and track them up until youre ready. 

    0Reply
    • Cody Voorhies
      OP
      New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
      5mo

      @William Rizer 

      Appreciate it William. I actually already work full time as an environmental engineer, so right now I’m mainly trying to focus on building experience and savings while learning the real estate side as much as I can. I’ve definitely been hearing that the analysis part is huge early on, so I’m trying to get as many reps in as possible before jumping into my first deal.

      0Reply
  • Jarret Jarvis
    Real Estate Agent · Chicago · Member since 2021 · 168 posts · 62 votes
    5mo

    You’re actually in a really solid spot right now, 23, working full-time, and already thinking in terms of house hacking and small multifamily is way ahead of most people.

    One thing I’d say is you probably don’t need to wait 2–3 years just to start getting real reps. Even if you’re not buying yet, start looking at duplexes/triplexes in Hartford County now and practice underwriting them like you already own them. That skill compounds fast.

    Also, don’t get too caught up in waiting for the “perfect” 4-unit. A clean duplex you can live in and stabilize will teach you way more than sitting on the sidelines trying to find the ideal setup. First deal is really about learning tenants, financing, and unexpected costs more than optimizing everything perfectly.

    On the financing side, just make sure you really understand how owner-occupied loans work (FHA vs conventional, how rental income gets counted, etc.) because that will shape what you can actually buy more than anything else.

    You’re on the right track though, if you keep saving, keep learning deals weekly, and stay flexible on the exact property type, you’ll be in a good position to move when something solid comes up instead of trying to time the “perfect” entry.

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    • Cody Voorhies
      OP
      New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
      5mo

      @Jarret Jarvis 

      Thanks Jarret, I appreciate the perspective. That’s honestly something I’ve been starting to realize too — I probably learn a lot more from actually owning a solid duplex/triplex than trying to wait around for the ‘perfect’ deal. I’ve been trying to focus more on understanding the financing and underwriting side lately because there’s definitely a lot more to it than I originally thought.

      0Reply
  • Tre DeBragaPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Worcester, MA · Member since 2022 · 107 posts · 48 votes
    5mo

    Whats up Cody,
    Good thinking. House hacking is where its at if you are looking to get into real estate. 
    My number one advice I would give you is go to real estate meet ups. I work with Candor and we host real estate meet ups all through MA and I believe we even have a team in CT that hosts meet ups. You will meet so many good people with good advice and connections for agents, lenders, investors, etc.. Feel free to shoot me a message and I will find our CT meet ups and connect you!

    0Reply
    • Cody Voorhies
      OP
      New to Real Estate · Newington, CT · Member since 2024 · 7 posts · 6 votes
      5mo

      @Tre DeBraga 

      Appreciate it Tre. I’ve definitely been wanting to start going to more local meetups because it seems like that’s where a lot of the relationships and opportunities really come from. I’m in Connecticut so if you know of any good meetups in the area I’d definitely be interested in checking them out.

      0Reply
  • Kay S.
    Investor · AR · Member since 2026 · 24 posts · 5 votes
    5mo

    Welcome, Cody! You’re being really thoughtful by learning, saving, and building your analysis skills before jumping into your first deal.

    House hacking a duplex, triplex, or fourplex can be a great strategy, especially because you’ll get to learn ownership from the inside. One thing I’d encourage you to study early is not just the purchase price and financing, but how the property will actually operate after closing: realistic rents, vacancy, repairs, utilities, maintenance, tenant quality, turnover, and management expectations.

    Before your first house hack, I’d also spend time learning the local rental market, talking with lenders about owner-occupied multifamily options, and building a simple deal analysis checklist so you can compare properties consistently.

    The fact that you’re planning 2–3 years out gives you a real advantage. Use that time to build capital, understand your market, and get very comfortable running conservative numbers. That foundation will serve you well.

    0Reply
  • Wale LawalBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Houston | Dallas | Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5mo

    @Cody Voorhies

    That’s definitely the right approach, and doing it this way is going to get you farther ahead than a lot of new investors. In regards to house hacking, the key is spending a lot of time learning how to figure out the cash flow, the type of tenants and the real repair costs since that’s what determines the deal for small multifamily properties. But truth be told, you never really feel fully ready everyone learns the most after buying that first property.

    Good luck!

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  • Bogdan Constantin Stefanide
    Realtor · Norwalk, CT · Member since 2016 · 203 posts · 69 votes
    2mo

    Welcome, @Cody Voorhies — great habits already for 23. Our team works with a number of investors in Hartford County and we're based in Newington too, so this thread's in our backyard.

    One thing worth adding to the "analyze deals weekly" advice everyone's giving (which is right): make sure you're underwriting with actual CT numbers, not generic multifamily assumptions. A few specifics that trip up a lot of first-time CT house hackers when they finally go from spreadsheet to real offer:

    • Owner-occupied financing on 3-4 units has stricter reserve requirements than a duplex — FHA/conventional lenders typically want more months of PITI in reserves as unit count goes up. Worth confirming with a lender now, even years out, so your savings target reflects the actual product you'll use, not just the down payment.
    • B/C class in Hartford County varies more within a single town than people expect — insurance costs and financing terms can shift meaningfully street to street, not just town to town. When you're underwriting, don't rely on town-level averages for insurance estimates; pull quotes on specific comparable properties once you're closer to buying.
    • Legal unit count matters. Some 3-4 unit conversions in older CT triple-deckers were done without permits for all units ever being pulled. This affects both financing and appraisal — worth learning how to spot it (checking town assessor records) as part of your underwriting practice now, since it's a fast way to rule properties out early.

    Given you're already underwriting Hartford County deals, happy to compare notes or talk through specific towns/property types whenever useful — feel free to reach out.

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