Anyone house hacking in Tucson?

[Michael C.]

I may be moving to Tucson from LA for a job in first quarter of 2021, and wondering if anyone can share their experience house hacking in the area. Is the small multifamily inventory mostly duplexes or would it be realistic to snag a tri/fourplex? Ideally looking for something below $300k. 

Any recommendations on neighborhoods would also be much appreciated.

[Naftali Tolibas]

Hey Michael,

I've done 2 house hacks so far in Tucson. The rent to purchase price ratio is quite a bit under the 1% rule (more like 65% - .75%) on the MLS, HOWEVER, if you're creative, you may find some properties close to 1%. The deals I've found on the MLS so far have been close to 1+%:

 - 1900 / month vs 165K purchase price (moved out of house hack - purchase 2018)

- 2100 / month vs 215K purchase (renting out for 1300, living in another proforma - 900 - purchased 2020)

Some of the strategies I recommend when looking in Tucson:

1) Finding homes with 2 houses in one lot (keywords: guest house, 2 homes, two homes etc...)

2) Looking for a large house (3+ bds) and renting out the rooms

3) Looking for 'in-law' suites 

4) Setting up automatic MLS inquiries - Look up @Patrick Allen here, I've worked with him and highly recommend