Better to keep it a duplex or make it into one house?

[Damon]

So I was curious about what people's preferences are. When it comes to owning a duplex, would you keep it a duplex and rent it out to two tenants? Or would you remodel the duplex into one home, and rent or sell it that way? 

I feel like making it into a house would be better, but I suppose if you want to maximise profits, keeping it a duplex would probably make you more money. But I probably would go with a house myself, because I like remodeling and rebuilding. 

[James]

If it started as a duplex the highest and best use for the property is likely duplex. You will be able to achieve higher rent per sqft with that as a duplex instead of a single family home. 

I would fix up each side of the duplex and make it really nice if you are looking for a project and then get it all leased out. 

[Stacey]

There are several houses on a street near me that are exactly the same. They are basically mirrored images on each side of the house. One of them is for sale and a friend of mine had thought about buying it and renting it out. In the area it is in, he could easily get $900 a month from each side which would more than cover the cost of the mortgage which would be around $1150. I think they are better to keep them separated for more revenue. 

[Carson]

Yeah I second keeping it a duplex, because then you can rent it out to two different tenants. Making it into a single family home, would result in less rent profits. On top of that, you could live in one side, while a tenant lives in the other side. That's why I like duplex houses, because you could have the landlord live in one part, and a tenant living in the other.