I'm 18 and want to turn a duplex into a triplex

[Noah Mount]

I am 18 years old and want to buy a duplex and add another unit. Is this possible/legal if I turn the garage into an efficiency room where the total area is about 500 square feet for the unit? (I live in northern Georgia if that helps.) I also have questions about how much people would think the contracting cost would be and how long it would take. I can send you pictures of the property via communication method. The price is $54,950 but I think I can get them down to $50,000. For a 5% downpayment, that would be 2,500 down, which I can save up in about 2 months. 3.5% down would be $1,750. I can pay for the property myself and have it be very lucrative if I do it right. (I've never bought a rental property before). I just need estimates from experienced investors so I can get as accurate of a budget as possible before buying the property. Thanks!

[Frank Chin]

I've been an investor for 40 years mainly in duplexes and triplexes. The main issue is one of zoning, a property zoned and built as a duplex requires a variance, often public hearings and zoning board approval before a legal conversion. I stressed legal because many duplexes had been illegally converted as one of my duplexes, with an illegal basement apartment added.

Problem with an illegal conversion is that if the authorities find out, they demand it be removed. That happens when you get neighbors upset and they turn you in. They accidentally find mine out, I didn't rent the illegal unit out, used it for my offices, and they allowed me to make a minor conversion, taking out the kitchen and bathtub, rather than the more radical step of converting it back to an empty basement, removing all the plumbing, partition walls.

One problem with legal conversions, in my case, duplexes are built to a different architectural standard. That depends on where you are but triplexes in NYC require fire escapes, sprinklers etc. But the bigger problem in my area is the local home owners association opposes any up zoning, with the usual talking points of crowded schools, traffic etc.

The first step is talk with your local planning department which normally zoning is part of and see what you can legally do.