Side by side Duplex OR lavel1/level2 Duplex

[Aditya Soma]

Hello Everyone

I hope everyone is doing great.

Yesterday I was taking to a seller(Also REI with 40+ experience) in Windsor Ontario, he suggested me not to buy Duplex with 1 unit on top of other unit, he said always SIDE BY SIDE Duplex's are best

Couple of reasons he gave why duplex with 1 unit on top of other are not good for investors:

1) will never have appreciation OR very low appreciation

2) will always have tenants complaining on each other 

3) low rents

how far is it true?? 

Thank you very much in advance for your feedback 

Aditya Soma 

[Roy N.]

@Aditya Soma

Side-by-side / side-by-each / townhouse duplexes and triplexes lend themselves to fewer noise (footfall) complaints than over-under / stacked  properties as Christian pointed out.

Another point to consider is that side-by-side, common wall properties are more likely to have been purpose built as a multifamily property in contrast to over-under units which are frequently the result of conversions - which has been the fate of many grand old Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Victorian houses down here on the East Coast.

Purpose-built duplexes and triplexes are apt to have better sound and fire barriers between units (taking the age of the building into consideration) than some conversion done 75-yrs ago before there were any *real* building codes.

{BTW:  There are things you can do while fire-rating the ceiling - floor assembly between stacked units which will greatly assist with sound dampening}