First 4-Plex

[Jeff Metzger]

BP Community,

I'm looking into purchasing a 4-Plex, Before this i have only delt in single family

The numbers make sense and the location i believe is a safe one with potential for growth.  From discussion with the listing agent there are 2 current 1 yr leases and 2 current 3 yr leases with 2+ years remaining.

My questions are what are some things to consider about a 4-plex that i may not have encountered with SFR?

How does the process of switching over leases from the current landlord to myself work?

[Jeff S.]

I'm new to this, working towards my first fourplex deal and doing a lot of geeking out on all the details.  Here are some of the issues I've come across that might be new/unique to a 2-,3-, or 4-plex investor :

• Landscaping, snow removal, litter cleanup : Ususally covered by owner.
• Setting/increasing rents : Tenants are neighbors, so expect that they will talk to each other. I've heard it is best not to have any big discrepancies in rent.
• Parenting: Disagreements between tenants about parking, noise, ??? need to be smoothed out.
• Mortgages: Some terms might vary depending on number of units.
• Timing: Showings/inspections/repairs take a lot longer to get scheduled and completed when all units are occupied.
• Turnover: Some people report a higher turnover rate compared to SFH.
• Maintenance: My observation is that n-plexes tend to be cheap and simple boxes built to do nothing but cash flow.  So maintenance costs should be lower.  OTOH, I've heard that tradespeople will sometimes try to jack up their rates on a MFH b/c you are an "investor" and must be very rich.
• Tenants: My observations and others are that often fourplex dwellers are looking to escape the uptighness and rules of an apartment complex.  So expect things to be a little less tidy unles you really hold the line.
• Resale:  MFH's are a less liquid asset.
• Appreciation: A 2-4 unit MFH is said not to appreciate (or depreciate) as much as a SFH. I'm not so sure that's true in my current market, though.
• Upkeep: With 4 times as many thingies (furnaces, appliances, toilets, countertops, ...) to break down or wear out, I'm imagining it might make sense to replace 4 at a time.  If one has (clearly) reached its useful service life, the other three are probably close to it.
• Neighborhood: Seems like in my market, fourplexes come in clusters.  Makes it easy to compare sales prices and rents, but makes for a shabbier street appearance.

If anybody has more, I'd love to hear 'em.