Buying a Duplex vs. a Large SFH in Longmont, CO

[Isaac Pyle]

Hello BP Community!

I am trying to crunch some basic numbers here.. Originally, I was planning on buying a duplex and house-hacking. However, this seems somewhat unrealistic in many parts of Colorado, because duplexes can be beat up and in rough neighborhoods and still sell for $400k. What I am looking at now, however, is buying a large SFH (5+ beds and 2+ baths) which can sell for less than $400k, and renting out the other rooms. Any thoughts on this? From what I can see online (very limited searches so far, I am pretty newbie as of now) I could rent out rooms for $1000+ per month, and at a 5 bedroom place, that would be $4000, which is a lot more than I could collect in rent from a duplex in the same location. Thoughts?