La FHA nunca fue solo para casas. El préstamo FHA financia propiedades de una a cuatro unidades con el mismo 3.5% de pago inicial, siempre que vivas en una de ellas. Un dúplex son dos unidades: mismo préstamo, mismo pago inicial, un solo cierre, y un inquilino del otro lado de la pared.
Los números del ejemplo. Construcción llave en mano $322,000 más un lote de $50,000 son $372,000. El 3.5% son $13,020. La FHA calcula el enganche sobre lo menor entre el costo y el avalúo, así que un lote comprado por debajo del mercado no te sube el efectivo al cierre.
Cuánto necesitas en total. Más de los $13,020. Los costos de cierre y los pagos adelantados (honorarios del prestamista, título, avalúo, el primer año de seguro, y unos meses de escrow de impuestos y seguro) suelen sumar de 2% a 4% del préstamo, unos $8,000 a $14,000. Presupuesta entre $21,000 y $27,000 en total. La FHA permite que el vendedor o el constructor aporte hasta el 6% del precio para costos de cierre: vale la pena preguntarlo antes de firmar.
La regla que hace del dúplex la jugada inteligente. La FHA aplica una prueba de autosuficiencia a las propiedades de tres y cuatro unidades: el 75% de la renta total tiene que cubrir todo el pago. Con las tasas de hoy, muchos tríplex no pasan y la FHA no los financia. Los dúplex están exentos. La prueba no aplica a dos unidades. El dúplex no es un punto medio entre una casa y un cuádruplex: es la propiedad más grande que puedes comprar con FHA sin enfrentar el obstáculo más duro del programa.
El límite no es tu problema. Para 2026 el límite FHA de dos unidades en Louisiana es $693,050. Un proyecto de $372,000 queda apenas por encima de la mitad del techo.
La renta te puede ayudar a calificar. El prestamista puede contar una parte de la renta proyectada de la segunda unidad dentro del ingreso con el que te califica, normalmente el 75%, sustentado con el programa de rentas del tasador. Cuánto cuenta lo decide tu prestamista; pregúntalo temprano porque cambia lo que puedes comprar.
El seguro hipotecario. Una prima inicial de 1.75% del préstamo, que se financia, unos $6,282 en este ejemplo. Y una prima anual de 0.55%, cobrada mensual, unos $167 al mes. Con 3.5% de enganche esa prima anual se queda de por vida; la salida es refinanciar a convencional cuando tengas plusvalía.
Lo que la FHA te pide. Que vivas ahí, generalmente dentro de 60 días del cierre y por lo menos el primer año. Crédito alrededor de 580 para la opción de 3.5%, aunque cada banco pone su propio criterio. Y que la propiedad cumpla los estándares FHA, que en obra nueva a código actual rara vez es donde se caen los negocios.
¿No tienes banco? Te conectamos con prestamistas del área de New Orleans que sí hacen préstamos de dos unidades. Para que quede claro: no somos el prestamista, no aprobamos tu préstamo ni fijamos tu tasa, y no recibimos ninguna compensación por referirte. Si ya tienes un banco de confianza, tráelo.
First-time buyers · Greater New Orleans
Live in one side. Rent the other. The same FHA loan that buys a starter house buys a two-unit building — and the second unit starts paying you back the month you hand over the keys.
Schedule a free consultMost first-time buyers think FHA means a single-family house. It does not. FHA finances properties of one to four units, at the same 3.5% minimum down payment, as long as you live in one of them.
A duplex is two units. Same loan. Same down payment. One building, one mortgage, one closing — and a tenant on the other side of the wall.
Run the difference. On a $372,000 project — a $322,000 turn-key build plus a $50,000 lot — 3.5% down is about $13,020. That is your entry into a two-unit income property. Not a condo. Not a starter house. A building that pays you rent.
This is the part almost nobody explains, and it is the single best argument for building two units instead of three or four.
FHA applies a self-sufficiency test to properties with three or four units. To pass, 75% of the total rent from all units has to cover the entire housing payment — principal, interest, mortgage insurance, taxes, homeowners insurance and any HOA dues. With today's rates, plenty of triplexes fail that test, and FHA will not finance them.
Duplexes are exempt. The self-sufficiency test does not apply to two-unit properties at all.
So the duplex is not a compromise between a house and a fourplex. It is the largest FHA property you can buy without having to clear the hardest hurdle FHA puts in front of buyers.
For 2026, the FHA limit in Louisiana — Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, the whole state — is:
| Property | 2026 FHA limit |
|---|---|
| One unit | $541,287 |
| Two units (duplex) | $693,050 |
A turn-key build at $322,000 plus a typical lot lands you somewhere near $372,000. That is barely over half the ceiling.
Which means the limit never boxes you in. You have room for a larger model, better finishes, or a stronger lot and you are still nowhere near the cap. Most buyers spend their whole search worrying about a limit that was never going to touch them.
Here is the part that surprises people: lenders can count a portion of the projected rent from the second unit toward the income used to qualify you. You are not judged only on your paycheck — the building helps carry itself on the application.
How much counts, and how an appraiser establishes market rent on a building that does not exist yet, is your lender's call. It varies. Ask early, because it can change what you can afford.
If you served, compare both before you choose. A VA loan needs zero down instead of 3.5%, and carries no monthly mortgage insurance at all — which over thirty years is a large number. See the VA duplex page.
If you did not serve, FHA is your path, and 3.5% is the lowest door into a two-unit building that exists.
We have built relationships with a number of banks and loan officers across the New Orleans area. If you don't have a lender, we connect you with ours, and we keep making introductions until we find one that fits what you are trying to build.
To be clear about what that means: we are not the lender. We do not approve your loan, set your rate, or decide what you qualify for — the bank does all of that. What we do is make sure you are not calling around blind. And if you already have a lender you trust, bring them. We will work with whoever you choose.
New Orleans · Metairie · Kenner · Slidell · Covington · Mandeville · Westbank
Pick a time and run your numbers(504) 407-3199 · [email protected]
Investment Property Builders is a home builder — not a lender, a mortgage broker, or a financial advisor. Nothing on this page is a loan offer, a commitment to lend, or a determination that you qualify. We make introductions to lenders as a courtesy; we do not originate, approve, or guarantee any loan, and we receive no compensation for referring you.
This page is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the Federal Housing Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or any other government agency. FHA loan programs are subject to borrower qualification, lender approval, program requirements, and lender overlays, all of which change over time. FHA owner-occupancy rules apply. Loan limits shown are the published 2026 figures for Louisiana and are set annually — confirm the current limit with your lender. Down payment figures are illustrations based on a sample project cost, not a quote. Rental income is not guaranteed, and whether a lender counts it toward qualifying income is that lender's decision.
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.
Yes. FHA allows 3.5% down on a 1-to-4 unit property as long as you live in one unit for at least a year. On our example project — $322,000 turn-key build plus a $50,000 lot, $372,000 total — 3.5% is $13,020. FHA computes the down payment on the lower of cost or appraised value, so a lot you bought under market does not raise your cash to close.
No. The self-sufficiency test, where rent has to cover the full payment, applies only to 3-unit and 4-unit properties. A duplex is exempt. That is one of the main reasons we build two units instead of three.
$693,050 for a 2-unit property in 2026. Our projects land far below it, so the limit is never the constraint here.
Two pieces. An upfront premium of 1.75% of the base loan, financed into the loan — about $6,282 on this example. Then an annual premium of 0.55%, billed monthly, roughly $167 a month. At 3.5% down that annual premium stays for the life of the loan; the way out is refinancing into a conventional loan once you have equity.
Generally yes. FHA lets lenders count a percentage of the projected market rent on the unit you will not occupy, usually 75%, supported by an appraiser's rent schedule. Your lender makes the final call, and it is worth asking that question before you pick a lot.
No. FHA asks for one year of occupancy. After that you can move out, rent both sides, and keep the loan in place.
Plan on more than the $13,020. Closing costs and prepaid items — lender fees, title, appraisal, the first year of hazard insurance, a flood policy where one is required, and a few months of tax and insurance escrow — typically add another 2% to 4% of the loan, roughly $8,000 to $14,000 on this example. Budget $21,000 to $27,000 all in. FHA also permits a seller or builder to contribute up to 6% of the sales price toward your closing costs, which is worth asking about before you sign anything. Your lender's written Loan Estimate is the only number that binds — ask for one early.
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.
If You Work For Yourself
If you run your own business or your own crew, this is the conversation we have most often, and we would rather say it out loud than let you find out at the bank.
What the lenders we work with ask for is consistent: two years of tax returns and a work history that shows you have been doing the same thing for years, not months. On top of that the usual file — bank statements, the business paperwork, your credit.
Here is the part nobody says to your face. A lender qualifies you on what your returns show, not on what you deposit. If you write a lot off, your taxable income comes out low and the loan you qualify for comes out low with it. That is not a rule we made and we cannot argue you out of it — but you should know it now, while you still have time to plan two tax years instead of finding out the week you want to build.
The banks we work with have people who handle first-time buyers all day, and some of them are used to self-employed files. If you do not have a lender, we introduce you, and we keep introducing you until one fits. We are not the lender, we do not approve anything, and we get paid nothing for the referral. And yes — hablamos español. Call and ask for it.
We are a home builder, not a lender, a mortgage broker, or a tax advisor. Qualifying requirements are set by each lender and change over time. Nothing here is a loan offer or a determination that you qualify.
Down Payment Help
Most assistance programs you will see advertised do not work on a two-unit new build. One does. Here is the honest breakdown.
On the $372,000 project, an FHA loan runs about $365,262 after the financed upfront MIP. Three to five percent of that is $10,958 to $18,263. Your 3.5% down payment is $13,020. The assistance can cover the whole thing.
Program terms and limits change. Confirm current figures with an LHC-participating lender before you count on them. Source: Louisiana Housing Corporation.