Headline
House hacking, plainly explained

Buy a home. Let it pay for itself.

Buy a duplex — or any home with an extra unit — live in one part, and rent out the rest. The rent covers most of your monthly cost. We'll show you the honest math, line by line.

Free · No account · Estimates, not promises

A classic two-flat at golden hour — the kind of building that pays its own mortgage

A classic two-flat — live up, rent down.

How it works

Three steps, one mortgage.

01
Buy with a low-down loan

Owner-occupants get the best terms: FHA from 3.5% down, VA from 0% for veterans, conventional from 5%. You live there, so you qualify.

02
Live in one part

One unit of a duplex, the main floor above a basement apartment, the house beside the ADU. Your home first — investment second.

03
Rent out the rest

A tenant's rent lands every month and pays down most of your housing bill — while you build equity in the whole property.

The calculator

See your real monthly cost — not the sticker price.

Pick your market and loan program, tune ten honest inputs, and watch the number that actually matters: what's left of your housing bill after rent. Every line item shown. Nothing hidden in the fine print.

Open the calculator
Your real monthly cost
$1,677/mo
$173/mo less than the median rent nearby
renting for lessliving freegetting paid
All-in monthly cost$3,435
Rent, after vacancy−$1,758
Equity after 5 years$42,680

Sample: $425k duplex, FHA 3.5% down, 6.25%. Estimates for education — not financial advice.

Estimates, not promises

Every number is itemized and every assumption is visible. We'd rather you walk away informed than sign up misled.

Every major loan program

Conventional, FHA 3.5% down, and VA 0% down — with mortgage insurance and funding fees modeled the way lenders actually charge them.

No listings. No lead-selling.

We're a calculator and a library, not a brokerage. Your numbers stay yours unless you ask us to send them somewhere.

The library

Learn the craft.

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Free · No account · Estimates, not promises