Newbie here! Looking to house hack; Arlington to Sterling VA

[Claire Severson]

Hello!

I'm Claire. I'm new to real estate and to BP. Nice to meet you all!

My husband and I are looking for a multifamily home to occupy and rent. We currently live in Arlington; I work in Sterling and he works in Tyson's Corner. We'd like to live closer to work but it doesn't matter too much where specifically; our schedules are flexible enough that we usually miss rush hour. So pretty much anywhere in or between Arlington and Sterling.

We're well aware the multifamily homes are hard to come by in this area. We've considered the option of buying a SFH and adding on, or even buying an empty lot/tear-down and constructing a MFH from the ground up. Could anyone advise whether this would be a viable plan/work out financially (obviously it depends on many factors, but as a general idea)?

Here's what else I could use help with:

- Finding a local, investor-friendly realtor.

- What constitutes a "great deal" in this area, and perhaps feedback on specific listings we find.

And here's what I can give back to the community: Obviously I'm new to real estate investing, so I can't offer any help there. But I am an interior designer (I work at a local architecture firm), and I'm willing to help with any interior design or decorating issues/questions you may have! I know that's not the focus of these forums, but I wanted to put it out there.

Thanks in advance!

[Rama Williams]

Hi Claire, First I want to say what an awesome goal you have, I specialize in multi-family housing in Northern Virginia, and as some have said it is a tough market, but we are the the absolute highest point, I think it will become easier once demand slows down.  I myself am looking to house hack, and I will be purchasing a multifamily within the year.  I think in a market like this you have to become more creative.  I'm reaching out to the owners of properties that are off market, thru a mail campaign, and I'm trying to compile a list of all the 2-4 units in Northern Virginia.  Surprisingly there are actually a fair number, but not as many when compared to DC.  Reach out if you'd like to chat further.

Additionally, look into DC housing laws.  They recently passed a law that allows another stand alone residence in your yard, if it meets certain zoning requirements.  The reason I know this is because I was looking into the tiny home movement, and some folks were thinking about putting tiny homes in their back yards.  I'm not saying the numbers make sense, it would definitely be something you have to investigate, but there is always a way.  Good luck!