Twin Homes vs. Duplexes as Rental Properties

[Ryan Rainboth]

Hello BiggerPockets! I've been searching for my first rental property and narrowed down my search to duplexes to be able to house-hack. I don't have a lot of capital so my financing options seem to be narrowed to a 3.5% down FHA loan.

Several houses have come up that look like duplexes but each unit is on its own parcel of land and they have a shared wall (called twin homes). This means each unit would need a separate mortgage.

Does anybody have experience financing twin homes like this? Can these properties be consolidated, or would two separate mortgages (FHA + conventional at 3% down) be a good option?

Thanks,

Ryan