House Hacking out of state with FHA

[James Allen]

I want to house hack a Quadplex in a different state. The only thing that concerns me is getting qualified for an FHA loan. I've been told so far that I won't be approved cause I need to work over there and show pay stubs for at least 15-30 days. My goal is to avoid a rental agreement before hand or even moving twice. I want to purchase a quadplex and then occupy it and live rent free to save up more funds. The concern with lenders is that I may be trying to have an investment property at 3.5% down which is not the case. Is anyone aware of any creative solutions to this problem to help me get approved or is the only solution to either work there for that long or to put 20-25% down and purchase as an investment property?

[Christian Bors]

@James Allen How can you house hack in a different state? House hacking requires you to live in the property. FHA loans requires owner occupancy. I doubt a lender will give you an OO loan outside the state unless you are close to a boarding state. I believe FHA has 50 mile rule or something, but I am not a lender so I could be wrong. You will need a strong explanation to convince an underwriter.