House hacking, plainly explained

Give your mortgage a roommate.

Q: Do I actually have to live there?

Yes. Owner-occupant loans require you to move in (usually within 60 days) and live there for at least a year. That occupancy is what unlocks the low down payments; an investor buying the same building would need 20-25% down.

Q: Can the expected rent help me qualify?

Often yes. On two- to four-unit properties, lenders will typically count a share of documented market or lease rent - commonly around 75% - toward your qualifying income. The exact treatment varies by loan program and lender.

Q: What kinds of properties count?

Duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, or a single-family home with a legal basement apartment or ADU. Anything from one to four units still counts as a home for financing.

The free calculator that shows your real monthly cost after rent — FHA, VA, or conventional. No hype. No account. Just honest math.

Run the numbers → Read the 101 guide

Free · No account · Estimates, not promises

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

How it works

Three steps, one mortgage.

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.

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.

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.

New · Market Explorer

See where the math works best right now.

Explore 15 high-signal house-hacking markets — median 2–4 unit prices, rents, mortgage coverage, and a plain-English market pulse, refreshed quarterly from public data. Pick one and load its defaults straight into the calculator.

Explore markets → Get the Q3 report (PDF)

The library

Learn the craft.

All guides →

Getting started

House Hacking 101: How to (Almost) Live for Free

8 min read

Loan paperwork and coffee on a kitchen table

Financing

FHA vs. VA: Which Low-Down Loan Fits You?

11 min read

Case study

The Duplex Walkthrough: What to Look For

9 min read

Straight answers

Questions worth asking first.

Do I actually have to live there?

Yes — that's the whole trick. Owner-occupant loans require you to move in (usually within 60 days) and live there for at least a year. That occupancy is exactly what unlocks the low down payments; an investor buying the same building would need 20–25% down.

Can the expected rent help me qualify?

Often, yes. On two- to four-unit properties, lenders will typically count a share of documented market or lease rent — commonly around 75% — toward your qualifying income. The exact treatment varies by loan program and lender, so confirm it with yours.

How little can I put down?

On a home you'll occupy: 0% with a VA loan if you're an eligible veteran, 3.5% with FHA, and from 5% conventional — on up to four units. The calculator models each program with the mortgage insurance and funding fees lenders actually charge.

What vacancy and maintenance should I assume?

We default to a 5% vacancy allowance (about eighteen days a year) and an 8% maintenance reserve. Older buildings deserve more. Both are switched on by default, because leaving them out is exactly how an optimistic spreadsheet lies to you.

What kinds of properties count?

Duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes — or a single-family home with a legal basement apartment or ADU. Anything from one to four units still counts as a home for financing, which is what keeps the low-down-payment loans in play.

Is any of this financial advice?

No. HouseHackers is an educational resource, not a lender, brokerage, or advisor. Every figure here is an estimate built on stated assumptions — confirm the numbers with a licensed professional before you make a decision.

Do you sell my information?

Never. We don't sell leads and we don't run a listings marketplace. Your numbers stay yours — we only email you a report if you ask us to, and we don't share your address.

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