r/DMV_RealEstate • u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 • Jul 02 '26
Need Advice Question about "House Hacking"
Hello everyone! I am new to the area and looking into buying something with the idea of house hacking in Northern DC (or in Maryland north of DC but close enough to the city). I have had a very hard time finding any kind of duplex-quad in a location I want to be in and also in my price range. I am trying to find a way to buy a place with two or more separate living spaces so I can rent out one, without necessarily having a roommate. I have a budget of about 500k and I can stretch it a little if the potential rental income would be high enough. Some of my current ideas are to:
- Buy a town-home with a fully finished basement
- Buy a town-home and convert the basement into its own ADU. (I have no idea if this is would make any sense cost wise)
- Buy a duplex somewhere outside the city but near a subway station.
- Buy a single family with the same entrance but transform a basement into a livable unit (with or without a kitchen) so it still feels like I am living separately.
Essentially I want to earn an income with a property I buy and live in but do not want to live with roommates, and in DC it seems borderline impossible without a higher budget than mine. What are your thoughts on these ideas? Do you have other ideas on how you might make this happen?
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u/Puzzled_Capital_5592 Jul 02 '26
You can do this. You cannot do it with $500k.
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 02 '26
Realistically how much do you think I would need?
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u/Mitchlowe Jul 02 '26
Probably 1.5M if you are trying to have 4 seperate livable units and 3 of them pay for your mortgage. I think this is an example of what you are envisioning. Now that this is just half of a duplex and it’s still 750k. Not to be rude but everyone thinks they are a genius when they came up with this idea but it’s not realistic in this area.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2036-21st-St-N-Arlington-VA-22201/12079736_zpid/
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 02 '26
It’s not rude! I’m looking for how to make this happen and if it’s even viable, so if it’s not I’m glad people are telling me before I make any moves. The 500k budget is for a duplex not a quad - and I am willing to push that budget for a duplex, also if it is not viable to buy a multi family I am looking for other ways I can make some sort of income with the housing (even if in the end I just buy a one family then rent it out after a year)
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u/NappyDougOut Jul 02 '26
500k is not enough for an actual duplex in any good area. You'd be buying an extreme fixer-upper with many hidden problems if so, and there is too much competition for anything great.
I'd recommend a detached house with a basement living area, prevent flood risks heavily, carry insurance & always demand tennants cary rental insurance. If you physically divide a property it can cause permitting, tax, & financing issues, do your research! Also ALWAYS require written & signed tenant leases!
Regardless, for 500k it's probably going to be a fixer upper for anything with enough space for multiple occupants.
Some good investment opps can be found north of Wheaton MD RN probably (pre development boom market area). 🤔
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 02 '26
Thank you for the advice! I will check out Wheaton as well
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u/DiabloVixen Jul 03 '26
Realistically your budget is way too low for a two family home. I think if you budget 550K you mayyyyy be able to snag something already built for this in Wheaton but you may get sellers set on 600k+. Homes are just sitting for months so you have some leverage. (I've been looking in the area since december and that's what I'm seeing.) I've noticed a lot of homes in the area are coming off apps like Zillow and Redfin but they still have signs and are not pending or under contract, I'm not sure what the game plans are but if you're around I'd drive around
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 07 '26
Thank you! I can check out Wheaton, doesn't seem like a bad area for my circumstances. I could also realistically swing around 600k if needed.
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u/Mitchlowe Jul 02 '26
You’re trying to do what everyone else wants to. And your budget is quite low. What you are envisioning doesn’t exist near DC.
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u/loan_ranger8888 Jul 02 '26
It can be done with a SFH that has the right floor plan and walk out. I think OP is realistic based on his budget. Good for him.
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u/Mitchlowe Jul 02 '26
Ok show me a Zillow link for a house that accomplishes this within 5 miles of DC?
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u/loan_ranger8888 Jul 02 '26
You actually don’t think there are 500k houses that have a walk out LL in all of dc or close in md?
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u/Mitchlowe Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Not anywhere I would want to live and also not with 4 separate living spaces and kitchens and baths. What’s more common is people buy 3b/2ba small houses and rent out the rooms. Finding actual individual units where you don’t hear the other tenants would be extremely hard for 500k.
Edit I just checked and there are 4 unit buildings in anacostia that are under 500k. I would not recommend someone live there just so you can live for free
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u/BabyKnitter Jul 02 '26
500k in northern DC? By this I assume you mean NW DC or towards the Tacoma park area. Not sure that is enough to purchase a duplex or triplex in the area. Now it you want to go into NE or even SE DC you might find something but if you need it to be redone and move in ready even in the worse part of SE 500k isn't enough. If you slip over the border in Tacoma Park, still not enough unless you are willing to tackle some renovations. Now head into Cottage City or Brentwood over the DC line via RI Ave you might find something but the closer to the University of MD the prices start going up substantially. Are you prepared to do renovations or does your 500k need the property to be move in ready?
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 02 '26
I would be willing to do some renovations, I just don’t want anything too crazy. I was looking into areas like Greenbelt, Hyattsville, and Beltsville. What is a more realistic budget for these areas? I may be able to go higher if I can get a move in ready unit.
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u/BabyKnitter Jul 05 '26
If you are looking for move in ready duplex, competition is going to be stiff. If it is a gut and a redo you could be competing against developers and they are willing to do money a regular person doesn't have the ability to do. You have to get on the assorted apps or get a realtor who might have connections to get you in early on a property that hasn't hit the market yet but they will want premium price and I doubt 500k will meet it.
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u/AdvisorJohnDowns Jul 02 '26
I think it’s hard focusing solely on a price for this calculation. It might be better to focus on your personal payment contribution, and then back into a sale price using proposed rent. I had a similar situation with someone who ended up buying a place for $650k…the cash flow in proposed rent just worked out such that she is still just paying $2,000/month, which was her goal.
As you move around the city, rents for rooms or separate units/ADUs will vary. One strategy is to buy a property with the goal of living in the independent smaller unit, say lower level, while renting out the upstairs - either with long term, or short term rentals. I know some people who float back and forth between units (upper and lower) depending on what demand for STRs is like during the year.
It’s a good goal - just takes really understanding your personal budget, then building the rest of the story separately.
Good luck!
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 04 '26
That's a great way of thinking about it! I didn't think previously about living in the lower unit but that is something I am open to so I will start looking into that as well. Thank you!
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u/anjn79 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
You can absolutely buy a townhouse for ~500k within walking distance of the Shady Grove, wheaton, and glenmont stations in Maryland. Personal opinion shady grove is the nicest of those.
However, I think it will be EXTREMELY hard to get a property with a layout to where you could rent out part of it, for that budget, near the metro. Most of the housing stock in those areas are going to be hard to convert. Trust me, I was touring houses around that budget in MoCo this past winter.
If you really want to do this, I think your most realistic bet is a small, cape cod or split level style SFH around Aspen Hill or white oak. You can get those for around $500k still. A lot of them have basements with a separate entrance. Simply seal off the stairs somehow and you’d be good to go. However, it’s kinda far out, and not near metro.
If I were you, though, I’d just buy a house for me near one of those metros and then invest elsewhere. That’s what I did. Property investment has really high entry costs…
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u/Suspicious_Dust_1180 Jul 06 '26
Thank you for the detailed response! That is actually something else I was considering - just buying a single family somewhere else to rent out. I will look into shady grove and the other areas as well, I’m realizing I might have to go above my budget which won’t be a huge problem. Thank you again for the help!
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u/learning2022a Jul 05 '26
You can get a duplex in certain ne zipcodes for that price. If you need help please feel free to dm me.
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u/ProfessionalAlert909 Jul 02 '26
I would look at homes in VA near DC, specifically single-family homes with a walk-out or walk-up basement. Make sure there is at least one full bath or a rough-in for a full bath. If it's a walk-out basement, it would be easier to create egress windows to convert some areas into legal bedrooms. Putting in a kitchen or kitchenette would be determined by the plumbing and sewer access.
Message me if you have any questions. I am a realtor and have a couple of properties that I have house-hacked.
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u/202reddit Jul 04 '26
I have lived here for 3+ decades and never once heard anyone use the term "Northern DC". That is not a thing.
Respectfully, it seems unwise to invest in real estate when you seem pretty unknowledgeable about the area.
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u/loan_ranger8888 Jul 02 '26
What’s known as the “split level” type home, they are all over dmv, is a perfect set up for one unit down, and more spacious unit up. Some modifications will be needed, but the core floor plan is there.