All Forum Posts by: David Santore

Frank Chin Ha! I'm sure there is an element of that going on here, but his pricing before was in line for the area. The thing is, I'm looking at this multi family from a living and investment perspective. Most of the multi fam investors I've seen aren't looking to house hack like I am, and they're looking at pure profit - they can get higher rents in other areas and offer elsewhere

There's this 2 family house I've eyed for the last year, been on the market twice but hasn't sold. It's not on the market now, but I want to buy it. The owner doesn't live there from what I'm aware of. I spoke with my real estate agent who spoke with the owner's agent. The owner's agent passed our message along but hasn't heard anything back from the owner, even after multiple times reaching out. The easy answer is, "Welp time to move on" but I want to turn over every stone. Maybe the owner is switching agents and doesn't want to talk to the current one? Maybe they're just putting it off? I'd like to reach out to the owner directly and make an offer (I'd still work with my agent since this is my first house). I know this is becoming more common in today's market (Boston), but I'm not sure how to approach. Do I just search public records and send snail mail? If anything I'd do certified so I know it's being signed to receive.

Originally posted by @Tobey Porter:

Call the utility companies.  They should be able to provide averages for the last 12 months.  That'll give you a good starting point for estimates.

 Thanks!  I'm going to look into this

Hi, I'm looking to buy a 2 family in the near future and house hack it by living in the 2 BR unit, leaving the 3 BR unit to rent. Right now I am trying to estimate on utilities, and this is proving tough for me: all of my prior living situations have been with roommates that have had some big elements of waste in my opinion: roasting thermostat heat in a drafty house, forgetting to turn lights and appliances off. Also, I've never lived in areas where I had to pay water (part of rent). In short, I don't feel like I can trust my estimates because there are so many variables from the past. Is there a rule of thumb for estimating electric/water/heat? I want to provide my future tenants with a good estimate, and also budget correctly when looking at homes.

Thanks @Neil Schoepp never knew there was a specific term for this!  I'd love to have a place be cash positive right off the bat but in the Boston area I think I'll just be paying a much smaller portion of the mortgage. 

I'm looking to buy my first home, but I can't afford to buy a single family so I started looking into multi families so I can rent the other unit and help with a mortgage.  I'm now looking at a multi unit from the investment side now vs. the personal housing side, but I of course can't just give that up since I'd be living there too.

My goal is live there for a bit and at some point, move out and then both units can be used as rentals.  I guess I am just unsure if I should be treating an owner occupy experience differently than a single home or a true multi-unit/investor perspective.  Is there a certain rental amount that a monthly rental payment should be compared to the mortgage?  Where I am (Boston) I would not be able to cover the mortgage completely via rent so I would be paying as well (albeit a smaller amount)