Converting a single into a duplex

[Chris Hester]

Hello everyone, I am looking into going into real estate within the next year or two once I get out of school, and a question went through my head that really can’t be solved through looking up. So, why do you guys think about converting a single family to a duplex as opposed to just purchasing a duplex. Would this strategy be a profitable one, and if so would it be worth it do you think?

[Emil Pinlac]

Hey @Chris Hester 

I would imagine that this strategy has the potential to get complicated.

As Nina said above, I guess the first step would be to check with the city to make sure you can do it in that district/area/neighborhood. But then after that, you would need to buy a single-family home and work with a realtor and ask them to help you look for properties that have the potential to be converted to a duplex - which can be challenging, because their inherent structures themselves might not be suited for what you're trying to do (especially if you're trying to add a bathroom or separate heating, or plumbing units. 

I think you're better off finding a SFR with a big backyard or ample garage space, and consider just building an attached or detached ADU instead.