House Hacking the NYC Suburbs

[Chris Skutnik]

Hi BP Community!  

I am getting close to being financially ready to house hack my first property and I am looking for advice from anyone who can offer.  I currently work in NYC (Downtown Manhattan) and need to be in a reasonable commuting distance.  Ideally, a commute of no longer than 1 hour is what I am shooting for, however I am certainly flexible with that.  With that said, I am not strapped down to any one location or market in particular and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on locations/markets that would provide a good opportunity for me to house hack my first place.  I don't think many things within the five boroughs will be within an affordable price range and thus I am thinking the outskirts is where I will wind up.  Any suggestions on decent areas with reasonably priced properties within a 1 hour commute of NYC?  While I am not ready to pull the trigger yet, I do want to start mapping out different markets and analyzing some deals to see what is out there.  I want to do my homework now so when I am ready financially, I can jump on the first good deal I find.  Thanks in advance for your suggestions/advice! 

Thanks!

Chris