*Updated 8-30-2024
A quadplex is a residential housing unit that offers four separate homes within one structure. By definition, quad plex means four units or parts. Each section of the apartment building and housing structure must be a complete unit and have a separate, lockable front door.
There are many benefits to quadplex ownership as a residential real estate investment both from a diversification of risk standpoint but overall as long-term real estate investing and rental income method.
Quadplex? Fourplex? 4plex?
These building structure names all refer to a multi family home and apartment building that has four separate living units, each with a specific, lockable front door or entryway and a complete set of individual utilities (tenant responsible), private bathrooms and individual kitchens.
Each unit should also have a private utility meter and separate entrance for each dwelling unit.
What Are Other Names for A Quadplex Home?
Just to add to the confusion, a quadplex can also be called a fourplex or four plex; other names include 4plex or 4 plex. The front door requirement is important here; there are many multi family homes and buildings that offer four different living space. For a multi family home to be considered a fourplex, 4plex, 4 plex, four plex, quad plex, fourplex, 4-plex, four-unit building, quardriplex, or four-family house, and our two favorite – the quadruplex and the quadraplex. What is your favorite of the two – quadruplex vs quadraplex?
With all these names, one common characteristic is that all four units must have a separate front door and own entrance dedicated to their unit.
Quadplex House Plans: Configuration & Design
There’s a lot of fourplex house plans variety in how these multi family homes buildings are constructed. A quadplex can feature 4 units side by side.
Quadplexes can be stacked or a single story buildings but if land is tight, quadplex plans can also be constructed as a two story buildings featuring two lower units and two upper units. As long as the folks who live on the second floor have their own door and a unique lock, the building can be called a quadplex or fourplex.
From an aesthetic and architectural designs perspective, the options are almost as limitless as a single family home. Architecture can vary widely from contemporary to barndominium style to modern farmhouse to more Florida beach theme, these multi family homes are versatile and adaptable to neighborhood trends and what is attractive to potential renters. Most floor plans and site layouts have a garage, but all units must have access to the street.
Quadplex Floor Plans
The floor plan of each dwelling unit within your quadplex house may be different; if you invest in a two story quadplex home for rental income and cash flow, it’s possible that the two units on the bottom floor could have two bedrooms and the two units on the top floor might be one bedroom apartments each with different target tenant demographic and cash flow rental income profiles.
Benefits of Quadplex Homeownership
If you’re considering purchasing property rentals to boost your investment group portfolio, a quadplex can be much more lucrative than a single-family home. Several factors that make rental ownership tougher can be improved with a quadplex, such as:
- Maintenance & Repairs
- Monitoring & Property Management
- Mortgage costs
With a quadplex, each tenant has their own utilities. Owners shouldn’t have to worry about water charges or electric bills. You have multiple units in close proximity to each other and under just one roof; so if a Texas hailstorm comes through and causes damage to property rentals, you can repair one roof to protect four units.
House Hacking: Live in Your Quadplex. Get Rental Income & Cash Flow From Other Units
By living in your quadplex, you can monitor the other dwelling units on the property easily. If there is a conflict between rental tenants or a particular tenant causing problems, you’ll be right there to address it. The quadruplex is a step up in financial management from the duplex and triplex investments, but not so much as to be a negative factor. A strong case for more diversification of tenant cash flow could be made for the 4plex.
You may also choose to take care of mowing and other property management and maintenance issues. With this effort, you can give commercial property rentals the feel of a real home and create loyalty (and lease renewals!) with your tenants.
Because quadplex dwellers are dealing with a shared wall and perhaps a floor/ceiling connection, make sure that you have a definition of nuisance behaviors in your lease agreement and on your website.
One noisy dwelling unit or disruptive neighbor can do a lot to damage the community feel that you’ve so carefully built within your quadplex home and environment. If you must evict a tenant over this behavior, you need justification in writing to get an unwanted tenant out quickly.
House Hacking Savings
By living in your quadplex, you can actually count on your neighbors to pay your mortgage. This classic house hacking technique was popularized by Bigger Pockets for real estate investors is a great way to capture rental income and cover your own living expenses and build equity all at the same time.
As discussed with our duplex house insight and blog post, this residential real estate strategy along with the BRRRR method of investing is an increasingly popular and effective way to step into real estate investing.
If your quadplex house is in a hot climate, you can save on utilities by moving into a lower level unit. If your quadplex home is in a cold location, you might take one of the interior units so you’re not paying to heat the northern-most of all the apartments. Take advantage of the floor plans and site layout!
Multi Family Home Plans: Difference Between Duplex, Triplex, and Quadplex
The quadplex definition is a four unit apartment building. By contrast, a single-family residential home is one dwelling unit within four walls.
A duplex house offers two units, as long as both units have separate living space, private front doors with separate entrances. A triplex is a three dwelling unit building. Investors often debate the merits of investing in duplex vs triplex vs fourplex apartment buildings.
Quadplex: Property Owner Benefits
For those into house hacking like the Bigger Pockets style, the ability to live in your quadplex comfortably is of great importance. If you choose to do your own property management, you can monitor this investment property easily.
Choose your favorite of the four living units and settle in. You can even use the living space or living area as a demo model. Showing off the usable sq. ft. can do a lot to bring other potential tenants and renters in.
Your quadplex should easily and quickly have positive cash flow; with three neighbors kicking in on your mortgage loan payment, your living expenses should stay low!
This real estate investing strategy can help you build up funds for the next property. In our experience in residential construction and over 2500 real estate transactions in Texas with a strong focus on the DFW market. We have experience in all forms of housing including multi family apartments in downtown Dallas, single family homes throughout Texas, renovating duplex houses in Fort Worth, triplexes in Lewisville, and acquiring and managing an amazing cash flow quadplex in Grapevine, Texas.
How Much to Build Quadplex Plans?
Depending on your location and zoning, you can build a quadplex for under $400,000. In Texas, land lot prices will vary greatly if you are looking with the boundaries of Dallas TX which would be similar to Fort Worth TX, San Antonio or Houston TX, but very different as compared to Plano TX or Richardson, Texas. Or look even further to smaller areas like Killeen TX and Gainesville TX for very attractive return on investment profiles.
With that purchase price and cost basis around $400,000, you will not have to deal with old damage, poor construction habits of previous owners, or inheriting difficult or unhappy tenants.
Cost To Build A Quadplex? How Much Per Sq Ft in Texas?
As noted above, you can get a quadplex build for under $400,000. We estimate that a new building quadplex in Texas would cost $150 to $200 per sq ft to build. It offers a tremendously effective balance of risk and upside reward because rental income is spread over four individual units.
If you want more square feet per unit, you may end up paying more depending on your build schedule and the amenities you want added. Even if you do build a larger multi family building, it’s important to consider one of the best kept secrets about the quadplex; you can actually purchase these with a residential mortgage loan instead of a commercial loan.
This dream financing structure can save you a great deal of money and interest rate expense, particularly as you may be able to put down only a small down payment.
Reasons Why A Property Owner Would Put A Quadplex For Sale On Local Housing Market?
- Inherited Property – if a landlord dies and the quadplex house goes to a family member, the next of kin may not so eager to be in the property management business of leaking roofs and water damage or generally involved in residential real estate investing. Owning rental properties is not for everyone.
- Bad Tenants – Landlords burn out and the tired landlord syndrome is real, One bad tenant or even a squatter can poison the environment of your quadplex; you may actually lose your good tenants because you’re slow in getting the bad tenant out.
- Financial payments / Mortgage Loans – if a tenant does damage to your multi family building, you can go after them, but you’ll be hard-pressed to get the money in a timely fashion. Meanwhile, every month you’re not renting is negative cash flow and value in your investment properties account. You may need to take out more debt financing and mortgage loans to renovate the fourplex apartment building but struggle to earn much more in rent. At some point, you end up upside down in your investment. Selling may be the simplest way out. The real estate market can be a rollercoaster and stressful if mortgage payments are not made.
- Repairs & Maintenance – every structure needs basic maintaining and annual checkups. Additionally, while tenants can do damage from the inside, mother nature can tear up your quadplex home from the outside. Insurance does cover some extreme property damage, but insurance deductibles can add up. Again, there are times when selling a quadplex is simply the best option.
- Retirement – landlords need to retire too. Families or personal injury or illness can also leave property owners unable to monitor and maintain their fourplex multifamily property. Motivated sellers all have their own reason for wanting to be done with property ownership; a smart real estate investor just need to be ready.
Investment Property: Tax Benefits To Owning A Quadplex
If you plan to live in your quadplex house, you may be able to get a residential mortgage loan on the property instead of a commercial loan which normally is at higher interest rates. This also means you can take the mortgage deduction on your income taxes each year; any profit you make when you sell the property could be protected from commercial tax rules. Talk with your accountant before you assume; pre-planning may be necessary to make sure the quadplex for sale proceeds are protected.
Quadplex For Sale
Now, if you are on board with buying a quadplex for sale and understand and excited about all the benefits of owning a quadplex house and building, the difficult part begins on your real estate investment journey. Finding a good deal on a quadplex for sale!
As we at Bright Bid Homes are based in Texas in the Dallas Fort Worth region, we know how challenging the current real estate market is to find good deals in the local housing market. How to find a quadplex for sale in Texas? Quadplex for sale Dallas TX? Quadplex for sale Fort Worth TX? These are tough questions and requires deep research, DFW networking with Texas realtors and wholesalers, and combing through online listings on Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, and maybe even Craigslist, and reading all the online forums like Reddit and Quora for information on sourcing deals.
If you are looking to partner on a Texas quadplex for sale, reach out to our team at Bright Bid Homes, we are real estate investors and have a large toolbox of options to find that new off market listing for a quadplex for sale.
The quadplex ownership journey is filled with nuances and opportunities, but getting all the available information about a quadplex house deal and making informed decisions is for sure a path towards long-term wealth creation. If you’re ready to take the next step, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for personalized quadplex and real estate investing guidance (and Texas deals!) on your way to quadplex home ownership.
*** Disclaimer – This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any financial decisions related to real estate investments.