Two Family Appreciation

Two Family Appreciation

Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes

I know there is a lot that goes into appreciation; the price paid for the home compared to the condition it is in, improvements I can make, the type of area the property is in and the direction that area is going economically.  But I've heard that multifamily properties do not appreciate as well as single family.

I am in the process of purchasing my first property (woo!), which is a two family in a nice town that has a detached two car garage.  I have been out of college for about two years, and ideally would love to refinance the property at some point and roll in my student loans.  I have about $65k in student debt, which seems like a lot of appreciation!  There are some things I can do to make the property nicer, but overall it is in good condition.

I know we can't talk specifics, I guess what I'm hoping for is that someone can say "Yes, this is possible!" or "No way, $65k in appreciation is hard to achieve."  So let's speak in generalities!

0Reply
27 views

Most Popular Reply

Lafayette, LA · Member since 2015 · 32 posts · 20 votes
10y

Never buy something with appreciation being a main reason. If it cash flows and is a good deal pull the trigger but don't buy hoping it will appreciate enough for you to pay off your student loans. JMO. 

See this reply in the discussion

17 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Lafayette, LA · Member since 2015 · 32 posts · 20 votes
    10y

    Never buy something with appreciation being a main reason. If it cash flows and is a good deal pull the trigger but don't buy hoping it will appreciate enough for you to pay off your student loans. JMO. 

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    No no no, that's not why I'm buying it.  I'm buying it for the cash flow.  I was just hoping this could accomplish a secondary goal haha.

  • Russell BrazilBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
    10y

    This is going to be very market specific. Even in the one market it can vary greatly. I can tell you in the Boston area, multifamilies should appreciate at roughly the same level as sfh due to the fact that so much of the housing stock is MFH. In the DC area, MFH might actually outperform SFH due to the fact that we have such a low supply on them, thus demand is high.

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    That's interesting.  I'm glad to hear that MFH can perform so well.  I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the market performs in my area, but I'm glad to know that it may be a possibility.

  • Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    10y

    Historically property appreciation has been the same as the annual cost of living index for the area which may be 1-2% a year during normal times. In "special" areas appreciation has been greater.

    $65,000 is a lot of money so I would not expect your property to reach that point for a considerable length of time. 

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    I'm also including cosmetic improvements to the property, not just basic appreciation.

  • Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    10y

    With duplexes you may experience similar appreciation to sf, depending if your future buyer is an occupier or not.  With sf's, the buyer can be emotionally driven, driving the price up.  With multi's, you'll generally be dealing with an investor, numbers'-driven only.  

    Some duplexes may be better suited for the owner-occ.  Mine for instance is a full house with a mother-in-law in the lower corner.  Separate yards, parking, doors far apart and only 25% of the square footage.  Not your typical side-by-side or up/down.  Owner occupier is my probable future buyer.

    Student loans. Federally insured sallie-mae? I would consider the fact they can be satisfied with your death or disability.  Hopefully neither happens, but something to be aware of.  Good discussion and congrats on your first property @Mark Smith!  Proud for ya!

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    Thank you Steve!  Sorry, for some reason I am unable to tag people lately using the @ symbol...not sure what's up.  I'm definitely excited to have my first property!

    I'm not even thinking appreciation related to selling the property, here's what I am thinking:  Buy the property, then a year or two down the line once I have fixed it up, refinance the property for an amount that would also cover my student loan debt.

  • Lafayette, LA · Member since 2015 · 32 posts · 20 votes
    10y

    What's your student loan interest rate?

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    I don't think it's as low as my mortgage rate, which is 3.375%.  But it would allow me to stretch out my student loan payments, increasing my cash flow now, allowing me to save more money for more properties.  I'm paying around $600/month in student loans currently.

  • Rental Property Investor · Greenwich, CT · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    10y

    @Mark Smith, $65k appreciation in 2 years is VERY unlikely. Looked at your area and ran some quick numbers. While historical U.S. real estate appreciation is about 6% (ignoring the 2000s run up and crash), you'll be lucky to see 2% outside of Troy in the near future. The most expensive house for sale in your town is $450k. At that price it will take 6-7 years to get $65k. More likely, your home is in the $200k range? That will take you 14 years...

    I definitely agree with @Brent Chauvin, don't buy for appreciation. 

    2 things to keep in mind:
    #1: Duplexes are good for house hacking and resale, but usually stink as stand-alone investments. (Happy to elaborate, but I seem to be writing this in a lot of posts lately and I don't want to bore people).

    #2: What else could you possibly do to force appreciation/cash flow? Smart renovations, yes, but is a basement studio apartment possible to give you a 3rd unit? Can your rent out the garages? Are all utilities metered separately?

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    I am buying in Waterford, just to clarify.  Renovations is where I was hoping to pick up some value.  Heat is the only thing that is not separate (gas furnace), which is very unfortunate, but it is still a good deal.  I would eventually like to separate the heat.

    As I said above, I am not buying for appreciation.  I just thought it would be cool if I could eventually refinance and roll in my student loans.

  • John CasmonPro Member
    Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    Hey @Mark Smith, If you're looking to force appreciation, your best bet is to find 2-family units that have sold near your property at the desired price point and figure out what those properties have that yours doesn't. I updated the kitchens in my units, ripped out the carpet for hardwood floors and planted new grass in the side yard and that drove up value significantly. Treat this like a SFR and ensure your property matches the desired comps and demands the correlating rents.

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    That's a great idea John!  Sorry for not tagging, it hasn't been working for me lately.

    I'll have to take a look at the other two families in the area and see what they are demanding for prices, and make the appropriate upgrades.

  • Tega Cay, SC · Member since 2014 · 213 posts · 74 votes
    10y

    @Mark Smith I agree with @John Casmon.  We buy duplexes and do complete renovations on them.  We upgrade kitchens, bathrooms, floors, interior and exterior paint, roofs and landscape.  This gets us top rent in our market for great cashflow and we force appreciation to the property.

  • Schaghticoke, NY · Member since 2015 · 216 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    Thank you David, I'm going to have to see how I can improve the property. It is outdated in many ways, so that's probably a good place to start.

  • Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2014 · 636 posts · 486 votes
    10y

    I'm no expert, but I think you'll find it difficult to force appreciation on residential housing (1-4 units). The appraiser is still most likely going to look at comps and not put much thought into however much you raised rents or how much nicer yours is than the other similar property. Once you get into the commercial side, forced appreciation is a bit easier to achieve. If others have had different experience with appraisers, please correct me.

    I love the idea, so I hope you can find a way to make it work, but if not at least you can apply that extra cash flow to your student loans.

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.