Any advice on Washington house hacking?

[Haley B.]

Hey guys!

My boyfriend and I are looking to move out of state, and Washington is one of our top choices. We'd like to start our real estate investing career with by house hacking a duplex or triplex.

Any advice on the neighborhoods/cities we should be looking at?

Our budget is $250K and we'd be looking to cashflow or break even. (Or at the very least very low in the negatives -- the goal is to save up to buy more properties!)

Would appreciate your thoughts! Thanks!

[Account Closed]

Hi, welcome to BP. I house hacked in Burien. It’s just south of Seattle next to the airport. House hacking is a great way to get started. I agree with others on this thread that if you want cashflow you should stay away from King County and focus on Pierce County to the south. I bought 4 years ago in King county, but at today’s prices there is no way my duplex would cashflow. I’m glad I bought when I did. Tacoma isn’t as “cool” as Seattle but I believe it’s up and coming. Seattle has gotten very expensive and a lot of high income earners are starting to move south for the less expensive real estate. Also, they are expanding the light rail system south to Tacoma in the future. Eventually you will be able to commute from Tacoma to downtown Seattle on the train. This will make Tacoma much more attractive to commuters. I believe Tacoma is a great appreciation play, but that’s just my opinion. I lived in Tacoma for 4 years and every time I go back it seems just a little better. As far as neighborhoods go....North Tacoma is the nicest part of town. The east side is lower middle class. I have noticed a LOT of flips on Zillow on the east side. South Tacoma is about the same. I’d say lower middle class. This includes Lakewood which is pretty rough. It has a bad reputation. The West side around University Place and Fircrest are solid middle class. I’d say they are B neighborhoods. Then you have good old Hilltop/downtown. This area is the “ghetto” but it is improving at a faster rate then all the other neighborhoods. I used to live there when I was single and just wanted to save money, and let’s just say I have some stories lol. Now it’s starting to look like a “hipster” neighborhood for lack of a better term.

I grew up in the Puget Sound, but it’s been 5 years since I lived there. So take what I say as just my opinion. Any Current Tacoma locals feel free to critique my neighborhood breakdown. Hope this helps.