Atlanta- Inlaw suite vs Duplex House hacking

[Jasmine Gilbert]

Hi BP family!

I'm looking to house hack in the Atlanta and Greater Atlanta areas. This is a pretty expensive market, as a new investor and first-time homeowner I have a somewhat limited budget. Recently my real estate agent suggested looking at homes with completed inlaw suites (1 bed, 1 bath, full kitchen). While I am completely happy living in a 1b/1ba  basement apartment I wanted to know if anyone has insight on how well those types of units would rent in comparison to a duplex.

Looking forward to your responses!

Jasmine

[Sara C.]

For my clients, I recommend they look at both—multi-family and duplexes. Agree with @Anthony Fontana, properties with in-law suites are often better maintained and are overlooked by investors. Something else to think about is that many multi-family properties come with tenants in place, so you have to consider how you'll get one out so you can live there. With a SFH with an in-law suite this isn't an issue. However, definitely think about how you'll rent it out when you are ready to move on to a different property. Likely you would have to include all utilities as they aren't typically on a separate meter.