Buying first Property

[Dorian Johnson]

Hello, BP community!  My wife and I just made the conscious decision to get started in real estate investing.  May sound like a dumb question to the experienced, but here goes...  Does it make more sense to purchase a rental property while still renting an apt. OR does it make more sense to simply get a starter home, then live in it first, then rent it out and move into an apt?  Any information is greatly appreciated.  Blessings!

[Eli Rollins]

@Dorian Johnson Hi Dorian! Have you bought a house yet? If not you could get an FHA loan on a property for as little as 3.5% down when you buy a property. You will have to live in it for a couple years to use the loan but it will help you build equity in the property and bolster your investment. And about the option about living in an apartment while you make your first investment. While that is a good idea to rent where live and buy where you rent I'm going to suggest an arguably better option that mixes both renting a property and making your first investment. Invest in a house hack. You can buy a duplex, triplex, or, fourplex, live in one of the units and rent out the others and live there for very little if not nothing. and if you play your cards right you could even get some income from the investment. One more thing about the househack. You could use the FHA loan I mentioned earlier to finance the deal since duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, are considered residential. So you can 1.Build equity 2.make your first investment and get your foot in the door 3.You can live for close to if not completely free. and lastly 4.You will gain valuable experience for your future endeavors. I hope this helped, and I wish you all the luck in the world. :)