All Forum Posts by: Hamidou Keita

 Great tips Sylvia!

Hello Roopy,

As a fellow immigrant who navigated similar uncertainties, I can definitely relate to your situation. Like you, I was eager to start investing in real estate but decided to hold off until I had more visa security. When you're on a temporary visa, especially without a clear path to permanent residency, the risk involved can be substantial—both financially and legally. Here's why I waited:

1. Visa Uncertainty: With a temporary visa like an F1 CPT or even an H1B, there’s always a chance that, due to lottery outcomes or policy changes, the path to a green card could be delayed or not happen at all. For me, waiting until I had my green card was crucial. Without it, there's no guaranteed legal status, which could lead to being forced to leave the U.S. and potentially manage property from abroad—a complex and often costly endeavor.
2. Real Estate Ownership and Rentals as a Non-Resident: If you do decide to purchase property and then move abroad, you can keep it as an investment, but it requires navigating tax regulations specific to non-resident foreign property owners. While passive rental income is possible, managing it across borders can be tricky and may incur extra costs like foreigner withholding taxes and specialized tax filing.
3. Financial Accounts (Roth IRA and HYSA): From what I understand, if you were to leave the U.S. without citizenship or a green card, your ability to contribute to a Roth IRA would be affected as you would likely no longer have U.S.-sourced income. You might still maintain your HYSA, but it could require tax filings depending on the country you move to and U.S.-specific taxation rules for foreign investors. However, the accounts themselves wouldn't need to be closed, though non-resident taxation can add complexity.

In my case, waiting for a clearer visa status provided peace of mind and allowed me to focus my resources toward securing my green card first. Real estate is certainly possible as a non-citizen, but it can involve added layers of complexity when managing from abroad.

Best of luck as you navigate your options, and feel free to reach out with more questions!

Warm regards,

Hamidou

 Thanks for sharing. I am actually closing on a duplex now and i would like to house hack it and rent the other unit as a midterm rentals. I would love to connect with you to share ideas.

Hamidou

 Hi Kyle, 

Thanks for sharing your experience doing MTR in Tucson. I am currently closing on a duplex in Tucson that I want to use one unit for MTR. I love to connect with you to share ideas.

Best

Hamidou

I'm currently under contract for a duplex (2 bed, 1 bath each unit) and planning to house hack by living in one unit and renting out the other. I'm considering offering the rental as a midterm or short-term option. As a rookie in this space, I'm looking for advice on the best tools and software for the following:

• -> Listing the property across multiple platforms like Airbnb, Furnished Finder, etc.
• -> Syncing calendar bookings across different sites
• -> Screening tenants if needed
• -> Collecting rent and security deposits
• -> Managing lease documents and agreements

Would love to hear what apps or systems more experienced hosts are using to streamline these processes!

 Thanks Noah for sharing some great ideas here. I will look into it.

 Great idea. I didn't think about that.

 Thanks sharing Wale!

I’m looking to house hack in Tucson, Arizona, and have made offers on a few duplexes with the goal of living in one unit and renting out the other. However, the duplexes within my budget (~$360K) often require substantial work, and I’m not looking to spend much on rehab. My plan is to put 5% down on a 30-year conventional loan and have the rental income help cover part of the mortgage. Unfortunately, my options for small multifamily properties here are limited.

I’m now considering buying a single-family home on a lot over 8,000 sq ft and building a duplex in the back to generate rental income. I’ve never done this before, so I’m seeking advice on how to analyze deals like this. Specifically, I’m thinking of putting in an offer on a $295K single-family home zoned R-2 for multifamily use, with plans to build the maximum allowable units at the back. The property is in the 85712 or 85745 zip code. Could you provide insights on how to evaluate whether this is a viable strategy?