Where you can still find deals -- House Hacks

[Ben Firstenberg]

Hello all, I'm an agent in Atlanta who works primarily with investors. I see a lot of posts on here asking where to look for deals and thought maybe it would be helpful to summarize what I know and what I'm seeing today. For this post, I'm going to focus on house hacking. 

The most successful house hacking strategies today seem to be rent by the room or buying a house with an in law suite. 2-4 unit homes have run up in price to the point where it's difficult to find one that works. It's difficult to find a "perfect house hack" where your living expenses are exactly $0. Typically a major win is to reduce your housing expense to $500-1000/month. That way, you're still saving money on housing AND when you move out your property will be cash flow positive. 

Three locations I recommend looking into:

1. Austell/Mableton/Powder Springs/Hiram/Lithia Springs -- this pocket on the NW side of town has some great deals for house hacks. You would be surprised how strong the rental demand is in these places, and the prices are very reasonable. You'll be living a little further outside of town, but there is still plenty of retail and amenities. 

2. Marietta -- Deals will be a little bit harder to find, and will be more competitive. But prices are still reasonable and the location is very strong. The proximity to the perimeter office/retail centers will be a big draw, as well as downtown Marietta itself. 

3. Norcross/Duluth/Lilburn/Tucker -- this pocket also has some great house hack deals. Prices will be a little bit higher, just due to proximity to the perimeter. 

These neighborhoods are not by any means the only options, but they're a great place to start. 

Other agents or investors, would love to hear your opinions. Where have you found good house hacks?