Househack Financing Advice

[Braden Jackson]

Hey BP community,

I am a new investor looking for my first househack in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area. I've been on the hunt for a duplex for several months, and have been contemplating what kind of loan product I should be looking out for when I find a property within my "buy box." Most of the recommendations I see on the forums, and other BP content suggest that new buyers like myself take advantage of low down payment loan products to get my foot in the door. However, I have enough saved to put down 15-20% (depends on the property) on a property if need be. Obviously in the current RE environment with rates where they are, this would obviously reduce my mortgage payment per month vs if I put only 3.5% or 5% down, potentially me helping break even or even "cash flow" on the property once I move out after a year. Is the FHA/Low Down Payment type product still the way to go? Or should I still consider putting more down to take advantage of the reduced payment?

Also, has anyone had any experience househacking in this market? Any advice or lessons learned that you would be willing to share?

Thanks in advance!

[Ryan Thomson]

@Braden Jackson I recommend my clients in Colorado Springs not put down 20% even if they have it. It's a terrible investment. PMI is so cheap that you could put that extra 15-20% into a US treasury bond and have more than enough to cover PMI.

Also, It limits how quickly you can scale to the next house hack because it takes more money per investment. 

It also drastically brings down the Net Worth ROI when you put 20% down vs 5%.