Minimum Sq Ft for SFH

[Jared Baker]

Hello BP!

I found a few post related to my question but they were anywhere form 3-10 year old posts, so I thought I would ask again and see how things differ now a days. What is the minimum square footage to look for, for a SFH as a rental? I found a few properties that have come up in my area that I think could have some potential but are ranging from 750-950 square feet (2/1). I don't see a lot of rentals that are this small, so is this because they aren't good as rentals or are they pretty popular and rent very quickly?

Also, would updating the kitchen and bath of these small houses bring enough value to raise the rents on them or being so small there wouldn't be that much return on the update?

[Frank Wong]

Hi Jared,

For a 2/1 I like to see 800sqft.  A 3/2 I think 1050 sqft is a good start.  You need to have enough room for the bedroom size.  In the end, it all depends on the price.  If the price is low enough you can make anything work.  

Having a nicer kitchen and floors for these homes are even more important. Bathroom not so much.   You need to sell the tenant on the aesthetics because of the lack of sqft.