Buying
Getting to the first one
Owner-occupied is the cheapest way into investment property, and the rules are specific enough to kill a deal after you have already made the offer. Worth knowing which buildings you can finance before you fall for one.
Work out whether it pencils
One to four units plus ADUs, loaded with each town's real tax rate. Handles an assumed loan and the gap it leaves.
Run a property →The 3% mortgage you can inherit
FHA and VA loans can be taken over rather than paid off. You assume the balance, not the price, and the gap decides whether it is worth doing.
FinancingWhy FHA fails on most three-deckers
A rule that applies to three and four units but not to two-families, and it decides what you can buy at 3.5% down.
Due diligenceThe Massachusetts rules that catch new landlords
Lead paint carries strict liability, Title 5 reaches the closing table, and the deposit statute pays treble damages on paperwork alone.
FinancingDown payment help that reaches two to four units
MassHousing and the ONE Mortgage both permit a two, three or four family bought as your primary residence.
FinancingFinancing the repairs inside the purchase
The 203(k) covers one to four units, and in its standard form pays for an ADU.
RatesWhat a point of rate is worth, in dollars
About $370 a month, or $45,000 of purchase price, on a $575,000 two-family. Worked at five rates.
ZoningCan you build an ADU in your town?
By right across Massachusetts since February 2025, but Brockton needs no hearing and Weymouth holds one on every application. Six towns documented.
Getting startedWhat it costs to get in
$46,000 to close on a $575,000 two-family at 5% down, plus the reserves a lender wants left over. The deposit is rarely what stops people.
Looking for something specific?
Knowing which towns and which property types pencil is most of the work. The calculator runs a deal against the town's own tax rate, and the town pages cover what can legally be added to one.