¿Es demasiado un dúplex para una primera compra? Es el mismo proceso de préstamo que una casa, con un paso extra: el tasador también estima la renta de mercado de la segunda unidad. Si puedes comprar una casa, puedes comprar un dúplex. La diferencia es que el dúplex te manda un cheque todos los meses.
Cuánto efectivo necesitas. Sobre el proyecto de ejemplo, $13,020 de enganche con FHA más los costos de cierre. Pídele a tu prestamista una estimación escrita de los costos de cierre desde temprano: ese es el número que sorprende a la gente, no el enganche. En total, presupuesta entre $21,000 y $27,000.
Qué crédito necesitas. El piso de la FHA para el 3.5% es 580, pero cada banco pone criterios más estrictos y la mayoría quiere más. Habla con un prestamista antes de enamorarte de un lote.
¿Y si pierdo el trabajo? Sigues debiendo el pago completo. Esa es la respuesta honesta. La renta del otro lado lo suaviza, y las reservas importan más que el granito. Construye un colchón antes de construir una casa.
El proceso, paso a paso. Consulta gratis para ver si los números te dan. Pre-aprobación con un banco que entienda obra nueva de dos unidades. El lote, que si no tienes lo buscamos. La construcción, con presupuesto y cronograma por escrito. Y al final te mudas a un lado y te ayudamos a rentar el otro.
Hablamos español. Todo el proceso, desde la primera llamada hasta las llaves, lo podemos llevar en español.
First-time buyers · Greater New Orleans
Most first-time buyers think their only option is somebody else's old house. It is not. You can build — a house, or a duplex that helps pay for itself — with the same 3.5% down.
Schedule a free consultIf you want a single home for yourself and your family, we build that. New construction, built to today's code and today's wind ratings, on your lot or on a lot we find for you. No 1970s wiring, no roof with four years left on it, no surprise behind the drywall.
Same 3.5% down, same owner-occupied loan, but the building has two doors. You live in one. Your tenant lives in the other, and their rent goes against your mortgage every month. It is the same first purchase — it just comes with an income.
A lot of people who could afford a house choose the duplex once they see the numbers. Some do the opposite. Both are right, depending on what you want your life to look like. See how house hacking actually works.
That is the belief that keeps most first-time buyers out of new construction, and it is wrong. The loan programs first-time buyers already use work on new builds:
Do not have a bank? We have relationships with several. Tell us where you are and we will connect you with lenders who do this kind of loan, so they can walk you through what you qualify for. We are not the lender, and we receive no compensation for connecting you.
Building is not instant. A resale closes in 30 to 45 days; a build takes about six months of construction plus the permit stage, and you need somewhere to live in the meantime. Costs can move. Permits can take longer in one jurisdiction than another. And if you build a duplex, you are going to be a landlord — a tenant on the other side of the wall, a lease, repairs, and the occasional bad month.
We would rather you hear that from us now than learn it later. If after hearing it you still want to build, you are the kind of client we do our best work for.
Bring what you have — a rough budget, an area you like, a pre-approval if you have one, or none of that. We will walk your numbers with you, tell you honestly whether a house or a duplex fits you better, and tell you if the answer is "not yet." Booking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Book your free consultation(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 approval, a quote, or a guarantee. All loan programs are subject to borrower qualification, lender approval, program requirements and loan limits that change over time. Rental income is not guaranteed. Talk to a licensed lender, a tax professional and an attorney before you decide.
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.
It is the same loan process as a house, with one extra step: the appraiser also estimates market rent on the second unit. If you can buy a house, you can buy a duplex.
On our example project, $13,020 down with FHA plus closing costs. Ask your lender for a written estimate of closing costs early — that is the number that surprises people, not the down payment.
FHA's floor for 3.5% down is 580, but lenders set their own overlays and most want more. Talk to a lender before you fall in love with a lot.
You still owe the full payment. That is the honest answer. The rent from the other side softens it, and reserves matter more than granite. Build a cushion before you build a house.
Yes. Hablamos español. Podemos llevar todo el proceso en español, desde la primera llamada hasta las llaves.
Still have a question? Call (504) 407-3199 or book a free consult. Hablamos español.
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.
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.