How Much House Can You Afford When You House Hack?
How much house can you afford if a tenant pays part of the mortgage? Lenders count 75% of the second unit’s rent. The qualifying math, with my duplex.
Should I Buy a House or Invest? The Third Option
Buy a house or invest the money? The question hides a third option: a small building you live in that pays part of its own way. How I compare all three.
How to Budget on a Low Income: Housing First
A low-income budget that works starts with the housing line, not the coffee line. The five-line method I used on a small income, with a $3,000-a-month example.
Zombie Foreclosures Are Highest Where Duplexes Are Cheapest
ATTOM’s Q3 2026 report puts Youngstown, Fort Wayne and Akron among the top zombie-foreclosure metros. What that means if you plan to buy a cheap duplex there.
The Spreadsheet Behind My First Property, Free to Download
The five-tab spreadsheet I use on every deal, free, no signup, loaded with my own duplex as the example, and the two cells I learned to be pessimistic about.
What I Would Do Differently at Today’s Rates: My Duplex, Priced This Week
My $470,000 duplex priced at this week’s 6.71 percent rate: the payment, my share after both units, and the three things I would change about how I bought it.
Why Some Cash-Flowing Deals Are Bad Purchases, and What I Check First
A deal can cash flow on paper and still be a bad buy. What my 83-metro screen shows about cheap listings, and what I check before I open a spreadsheet.
What Went Wrong After I Bought the Duplex: the Boiler, the Basement, and Guest Number One
Four things went wrong in my first year owning a duplex: a $20,000 boiler, a $30,000 basement, a first Airbnb guest who demanded a refund, and the week I nearly quit.
How Much My Tenants Actually Covered: Twelve Months of Rent Against the Mortgage
Twelve months of upstairs rent and Airbnb payouts against a $2,880 payment on my $470,000 duplex, month by month, plus the costs the tenants did not touch.
How Long Does It Take to Break Even on a House?
Zillow says it takes 14.7 years to break even on buying a home versus renting. Here is what that number assumes, and the two levers that shorten it.