Is a fourplex with a carriage house in STL considered a 5-family?

[Steve Sherman]

Hey BP. I'm being offered a 4-family in St. Louis, that also has a carriage house on the land and they share a backyard. Was wondering if it's considered a 5-family for the home loan purposes. I know that anything over 4 units will belong to a commercial loan category, which changes amortization to less years, increases the mortgage payment and etc. I prefer to stay on the residential loan side. Please, advice.

[Peter MacKercher]

Hey @Steve Sherman, my belief on this is that, if it is listed on tax record as a 4-family then it would be eligible for residential financing, even with the carriage house. City zoning defines the parcel's use, so my inclination is to stick to that.

I suspect that @Chet Hileman can throw in some added information here from a financing/mortgage viewpoint, so hopefully he sees this and adds some clarity.