Starting with an owner-occupied duplex is a smart way to build equity and gain experience.

The BRRR is a great strategy, but you will have to search hard to find a distressed duplex that you’re able to force appreciation on in this neck of the woods.

@Jaron Walling I bought the property for 67K.

I am a first-time investor, I'm looking to buy a duplex in a smaller town in Utah, the town's population is around 8.2k.

Jaron Walling said something that caught my attention, "search for and buy a bad roof, leverage it during the negotiation"....especially of the property has been sitting on the market longer than normal for the current market, a "bad roof" might be a gift from the real estate genie.My point is this: get good at estimating and fixing a bad roof (or any particular problem found with most houses that sit on the market longer) and you'll get comfortable buying/fixing properties that scare off other buyers. 

I live in California, this is a bay area property.were not looking to move out of state and house hacking is less palatable when a duplex costs 1.6 million.

I would be surprised if the city *doesn't* require the walls to be opened.

There is still some value there although distressed unless its a tear down in my opinion for the foundation and exterior walls if salvageable .

I'm mainly looking for duplex, triplex or quadplex.  

Quote from @Giovanni Vazquez: Hello BP community, I finally bought my first duplex thanks to my phenomenal realtor Adam King in July 2024.