While the most common multi-family units are apartment buildings and condominiums, duplexes and townhouses have become a more common sight as people flocked to the suburbs. These properties make for an interesting midpoint between apartment buildings and single-family dwellings.

Like apartment buildings, other multi-family units make you responsible for multiple tenants in one centralized location. This helps with logistics and managerial duties, which is especially important if it’s your first real estate investment. If you’re more interested in the financial aspect of real estate than managing a property, you can hire a company to do it for you; it will make more financial sense to have a few duplexes managed than twice as many single-family homes.

Financially speaking, multi-family units are more attractive investments than single-family dwellings. It’s a lot easier to get a loan for a duplex than for a single-family home. despite the increased cost of the property.