Do you need MEP's or just cosmetic?

With that the strategy that fits most new investors is the house hack, with a multi 2-4 units my personal favorite.Here's mine:GoalsStart building a rental portfolioNeeded a place to live and did not want to rentSafe locationSubsidized living (house hack)GaragePrivacyAble to commute to workValue add play that I could do myself or hire a contractor without breaking the bankSolutionProperty: DuplexCondition: Cosmetic rehab & rents under marketNeighborhood: 1970ish, safe, long but doable commuteGarage, big yard & subdividable – will build DADU eventuallyDid not match any of the of the “standard” rules.

A bathroom remodel alone could run you $5k-$8k.For example, I'm currently doing a (budget conscious) cosmetic rehab of a 3 bed/1 bath unit with 1060 sf in Berwyn for $13k with new paint, vinyl plank flooring throughout, and some light bathroom/kitchen remodeling.

Simple rehab, mainly cosmetic and removing a few walls How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

Or if you wanted to, buy a SFH for closer to 150k and put some cosmetic touches on it and rent it out

Property required modest cosmetic updates (fresh paint, vinyl plank flooring), new electric stove, gas line repair, and HVAC condenser replaced.What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

It took longer than expected to sell, 2 months for cosmetic rehab and 2 months to get under contract.

For a rental, its a lot about durability, maintainability, and only somewhat about cosmetics.

If I were on my own I would most likely save up about 40-50k so I would have money for a down payment and cosmetic value adds.

You say "full demo", does this mean down to the studs and moving framing and restructuring/structural work or is this all cosmetic and systems?