All Forum Posts by: Bradley Dosch

Price to rent ratio and location are the biggest things I look for. I like SFHs with lots of bedrooms and separate living areas that are priced reasonably. Don't get too caught up in analysis paralysis though. Just go for it!

Just get started and you'll learn so much that way. Go all in, don't be scared. Choose a loan program that allows you to put little down. One lesson I learned was transitioning to the next house hack smoothly. Make sure you have a lender that understands your serial house hacker plans. They will guide you in being able to get the next loan lined up smoothly. Good luck Francis!

Hey Patrick - always looking to connect with other young real estate investors!

Hi Mariah. Finding a place to house hack "traditionally" that cash flows is tough these days. It can still be very worth it considering the extreme rent reduction, appreciation, loan paydown, and tax benefits. These days I am seeing better luck with house hacking utilizing rent by the room and/or airbnb. Single family homes tend to have cheaper price to rent ratios than multifamily. If you can find a SFH with ADU/MIL/separate living areas and kitchens, that's a huge win. That's what's working in this expensive Seattle/Tacoma market. Hope this helps, good luck Mariah!

Hey Victor, that is great that you and your wife want to get started house hacking! Those sure are some expensive numbers you are mentioning. I have found that in expensive markets, small mutifamily can often be over priced. I am a big fan of finding ways to turn single family into multi family. Mother in law unit, adu, detached garage/shed, split level, basements are all examples of ways to do this. I've done this on my first two house hacks in suburbs of big cities (Denver and Seattle/Tacoma). Hope this helps, happy to talk more. Good luck Victor!

Hey Jason! As others have said well, house hacking is the best way to get started. Everything they have said is spot on

Great house hack Michael! I love that you used 3% down conventional

I just add "ADU" into the keywords search on zillow. Building one is possible too with enough space but obviously more difficult. Have you considered just buying a 2-4 unit? You won't have to live near your tenants in that situation. Or is sharing walls too much? Mother in law unit is an option too but usually you have to share a floor/ceiling

Hey Drake, that's awesome and it's good to see a fellow EE in the BP community. @Sam Smith makes some great points about getting in touch with a lender. I'd say that's the way to go. My biggest question is with your current employment. Typically as a student, the co-ops and internships are not full time W2 employment, which lenders will want to see. This may be tough to get around but that's where a lender can come in and help! I can say that as soon as you get an offer letter for a job in the EE field, you'll be able to get pre approved quickly. Lenders can use your schooling as work experience if it's in the same field. I know bc that's what I did :) Good luck Drake!

For 2-4 unit, FHA is the way to go. Conventional will have a higher down payment for 2-4 unit. If SFH house hack, 3-5% down conventional is my preferred way. @Torrell Palmason said it well