House Hacking in San Francisco

[Jimmy Jarjour]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post! I've been enjoying listening to Bigger Pockets podcasts for a while and read a couple Bigger Pockets intro books to real-estate/house-hacking. I am trying to house hack a 4 unit multifamily (FHA 3.5% down, owner-occupied, rent other rooms) in San Francisco or Los Angeles and could use a bit of help starting out!

I have created a spreadsheet for quick analysis (with the 2% rule, 12% cash on cash, total ROI of 15% per year, etc) and have just been analyzing any Zillow deals that pop up. It seems that with house-hacking, it's possible to cover my mortgage living in 1 unit and renting out the other 3. I'm trying to avoid analysis-paralysis so I figured the first step was to start communicating with the real-estate community! Attempting to absorb as much as I can to eventually buy my first house-hack by the end of the year.

I would really appreciate some advice on the following topics:

- Finding a good loan officer

- Finding a good realtor

- Any local networking events

- General advice on where to start

- SF is primarily old constructions (a lot under 1920s). Since SF is a special case, this risk is pretty common. Should I stay away from these old SF properties? Advice/Recs on a good inspector for old properties?

If you are also trying to house-hack in the San Francisco/Los Angeles area, I’d love to connect! It will probably be helpful to share our knowledge and work towards the same goal.

I’m also open to helping out in other areas to gain experience/knowledge in the field so if you need a hand please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Looking forward to meeting you all and excited to join the Bigger Pockets Community!

Best,

James Jarjour

[Cody Anderson]

Hey Jimmy - Hows the multi-family hunt going? 

I lived in SF for 8yrs and am out there regularly (including next week). I've co-owned property with family for nearly a decade while also doing tech stuff while living in the Bay.

Currently focusing my efforts on house hacking via tenants in common (aka house hacking with friends) and have also been looking in SF and Tahoe.

Happy to connect sometime if you're up for it. LMK.