House Hacking Cash flow

[Max Lichtenstein]

Hi BP community,

I found an apartment in MA, and It is a 2 Unit apartment. One of the units is vacant, it is one bedroom and I would be occupying this unit. The other unit is a 3 bedroom unit with tenants already occupying. I have found a lender and she is working on the pre approval letter. As we have been talking extensively about the monthly payment and how we could maneuver the price, the monthly payment is just too high. Even with putting 5% down and a possible grant it is still too much for the financial positions I am in. This is including the rent that the tenant is paying.

At this point have I just reached a dead end? I don't want to wait because this is a great opportunity but in my mind, I don't see anything else I can do.

Thank you

[Melissa Hartvigsen]

You need to know what the tenant is paying. When you are buying a property with a tenant in place, you have the right to review the lease agreement, and verify the payment history. You can also require the tenant to sign and Estopple Certificate (which says the tenant agrees with the stated lease amount that the landlord provided).

If no one else is offering on the property, why not try to re-negotiate the price to a point where your payment (including what you receive from the tenant) works? The worst thing that can happen is they say no and you don't have a deal.