Best ROI for expensive primary residence?

[Tyler D.]

I'm a veteran and have the unique opportunity of not having to pay property taxes on a primary residence of up to $2.5m (in Cook County). I am debating the best way to take advantage of this.

The most obvious would be to just buy a nice SFH and live in it. This would be a savings of about 50k per year in taxes.

I'm also considering buying a nice fourplex. The rules require that it must be my primary residence, and not rented out for more than 6 months/ year, so this would open up the opportunity to airbnb out units at select times of the year. 

What do you think is the best way to take advantage of this opportunity?

[Zack Karp]

@Tyler D. it comes down to what you want. Do you want to live in a killer home? Or make money?

If you buy a 2-4 unit, you are required to live in one of the units for at least 1 year, and then you can move out and convert it to a full rental. The other unit(s) you can rent out year-round. Not sure where you got the 6 months from, that's not a thing.

I help a ton of Veterans use their VA benefit to house hack 2-4 units in Chicago. Just closed one for $1.4M last week for a Veteran. If you need any help or have any questions, just let me know.

TYFYS and best of luck!