The comparison
We build both. So we have no reason to sell you the one that is wrong for your life. Here is how the two actually differ once you stop reading headlines.
Talk it through with us| New duplex | New single family | |
|---|---|---|
| Down payment | Same programs — FHA 3.5%, VA $0, if you live in one side | Same programs |
| Monthly payment | Higher on paper, lower in practice once the other side rents | All yours |
| Income | One rent check every month | None, unless you rent a room |
| Loan limit | Higher — two-unit limits are above one-unit limits | One-unit limit |
| Privacy | A tenant shares a wall or a floor with you | Nobody |
| Work | You are a landlord: leases, repairs, turnover | Just your own house |
| When you move out | Rent both sides and it becomes a real income property | One rental, or you sell |
| Resale pool | Buyers who want income — a smaller, more specific market | Everybody |
You are buying the same land, pulling the same permit, hiring the same crew and signing the same kind of loan — and getting two doors instead of one. That is the whole argument, and it is a strong one.
Some people should not buy a duplex, and we will say so out loud.
Not "which one makes more money." Everybody knows the answer to that one. The real question is: are you willing to have a tenant in your life?
If yes, the duplex is usually the better building. If the honest answer is no, buy the house and sleep well. A duplex bought by somebody who did not want a tenant becomes a bad investment fast.
More doors sounds better until the FHA self-sufficiency test shows up. On three- and four-unit properties, FHA requires the projected rents to cover the full payment — and in a lot of markets that test is where the deal dies. Duplexes are not subject to it. That is one of the quiet reasons two units is the sweet spot for the first building. More on the FHA path.
Bring us your situation. We will run both — the house and the duplex — on the same lot, with the same loan, and show you what each one looks like month to month. Then you decide. We build either one.
Run both numbers with us(504) 407-3199 · [email protected]
Investment Property Builders is a home builder — not a lender, a mortgage broker, or a financial advisor. This page is general education, not advice about your situation. Loan programs, limits and underwriting rules are set by lenders and agencies, change over time, and are subject to borrower qualification and lender approval. Whether a lender counts projected rent toward your income is the lender's decision. Rental income is not guaranteed and real estate can lose value.
Operated by DuCar Construction, LLC — Louisiana Residential License No. 883334, Commercial License No. 63084. 638 Papworth Ave., Suite C, Metairie, LA 70005. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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Straight answers. Numbers are current as of September 2026.
A duplex, if you can qualify and you are comfortable having a tenant. Same FHA 3.5% down, same owner-occupied rates, but a tenant is paying a large share of the note. A single-family house gives you no income at all.
No. One to four units is residential financing — FHA, VA and conventional all treat a duplex as a home, not a commercial property. The rules only tighten at five units.
They are valued differently: a house on comparable sales, a duplex on comparables plus income. In a market with rising rents that second lever helps. It also means an improvement that raises rent can raise value directly.
Some. One tenant, one unit, next door. With a new building the first years are the quiet ones — no deferred maintenance to inherit.
Our plans are two stories with separate entries, separate systems and units set side by side rather than stacked one over the other, so you are not listening to someone walk across your ceiling.
Still have a question? Call (504) 407-3199 or book a free consult. Hablamos español.
Delivered & Appraised
The $410,000 figure on this site is not a projection we picked. It sits inside the range of what our last three duplexes actually appraised for, by licensed appraisers, after they were finished.
| ZIP | Delivered | Model | Living area | Appraised at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70122 | Feb 2026 | The Spain | 2,496 sq ft | $405,000 |
| 70122 | Jun 2026 | The Spain | 2,496 sq ft | $406,000 |
| 70115 | Jul 2026 | The Spain | 2,496 sq ft | $412,000 |
Against a $372,000 project today — $322,000 turn-key construction plus a $50,000 lot — that is $33,000 to $40,000 of equity the day the appraisal comes back. We publish the range, not the best one.
Appraised values are set by a licensed appraiser and depend on the lot, the ZIP code and market conditions at the time. Past appraisals do not guarantee a future one. Addresses are not published.
Your Warranty
This is not a marketing promise we made up. It is state law — La. R.S. 9:3141 — and it binds every builder in Louisiana on every new home. Ask any builder you are talking to whether they put it in writing. Here is exactly what it covers.
The home is free from defects in materials or workmanship, and from anything that does not meet the building standards.
Plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling and ventilating systems are free from defects that fail the building standards. Appliances, fixtures and equipment carry their own manufacturer warranties.
The home is free from major structural defects, whether from failing the building standards or from defects in materials or workmanship.
Each period runs from the warranty commencement date. The Act sets out its own notice requirements and exclusions — we walk you through the full text before you sign, and you get a copy with your closing documents.
Source: Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 9, Section 3144. This is a summary, not legal advice. The statute governs.