A $900,000 single-family approval does not transfer straight across to a $1.3 million duplex. The math changes in two ways, and one of them works in your favor. First, income. On a 2-4 unit property the lender counts actual or projected rent from the unit you will not occupy, documented through a rent schedule or the appraiser's market-rent estimate. That rental income raises your qualifying power, which is how the bigger price tag can still pencil. Second, the down payment, where old information trips people up. Since late 2023, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac allow 5% down on an owner-occupied 2-4 unit purchase. The 15% and 25% figures you may have heard for owner-occupied multi-units are the pre-2023 rules. A duplex you will not live in is a different story: a 2-4 unit investment purchase requires 25% down. On whether it is a good idea: house-hacking, living in one unit while rent covers part of the mortgage, can be a strong move when the rents and the payment pencil. Run the duplex and the single-family side by side with real rent numbers before you decide. We can build that comparison with you in a free Roadmap conversation.