To furnish or not to furnish a House Hack?

[Shakir Elvin]

I am looking to purchase my first house hack this year. While I was searching for room prices in the area that I plan to invest in, I realized that over 80% of the listings were furnished. Is it a good idea to furnish a house hack? Should I purchase a bed for each room and possibly increase how much I charge for rent, or should I just let the tenant bring their own?

[Jonathan Greene]

It really depends on what type of house hack roommates you are looking for. If you keep one room as an AirBnb type situation, you would furnish that of course. If you are just renting rooms, furnishing will reduce the possibility of someone bringing in bedbugs, but it really depends on the demographic you are looking for. Who is your renter? People moving out from home so they would need furniture? Or someone looking for a low risk option to park for a while, probably don't need it. You may have enough time to show the rooms and then ask if they want to pay X for furnished.