I've heard from a couple of investors to stay away from duplexes that have been converted from single family homes for owner occupied/first investment. Their only reason is that the plumbing and electrical could have been done improperly. I'd like your guys' opinions on if this is a good rule of thumb or not. Thanks in advance!
Specialist · Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
8y
It is generally best to stay away from those properties for a number of reasons.
1. as others have told you the work is not always done properly
2. trying to squeeze 2 units out of one can often leave you with weird floorplans that have small rooms, doors to nowhere etc.
3. What is the zoning, if the property is zoned for single family but was converted to a duplex, you could face legal jeopardy.
In sum there are plenty of legal and well built multifamily properties, I wouldn't risk it on a conversion to possibly save a few bucks in the short term.