What's more economical: multifamily vs. single family + outside rental

[Scott K.]

My family and I have owned a 2-family home since 2016 where we've always rented the 2nd unit. It's been very helpful with our mortgage payment.

We're looking to move, and I'd love to find a similar multifamily property. My wife is more open to purchasing a single-family home instead where we keep our current home and rent both units. So we're looking at two scenarios:

Scenario 1: sell existing home. Buy multifamily home. Single mortgage payment, single rental unit. Two units to maintain.

Scenario 2: keep existing home. Buy single family home. Two mortgage payments, two rental units. Three units to maintain.

Although I need to do the math, scenario 1 strikes me as more economical as there are shared costs gained with a multifamily property. Scenario 2 is technically not house hacking, right?

Has anyone else experienced a similar situation? 
 

[Alan Asriants]

The economics behind the scenarios always depend on what deal you are purchasing. In some instances the multi family property will be more lucrative while in others maybe it is the single family property. 

There is no blanket answer for this. Typically, at least in my area, dollar for dollar MF do better than single. 

Usually, long term speaking, it is best to keep as much property as you can and avoid selling (of course you must be making some sort of cash flow and not underwater)

Good luck