Single Family vs Multifamily: First Property Guide

If you’re trying to decide between buying a single family home or a multifamily property as your first investment, you’re not alone. This is one of the biggest questions new investors face.

Here’s the truth: your first investment property will be the hardest one you’ll ever own. But it gets easier from there. Let me walk you through which property type makes sense for where you are right now.

Why Single Family Homes Make Sense First

Single family homes are the best starting point for most new investors. Yes, I know multifamily properties make more money. But hear me out.

The Exit Strategy Nobody Talks About

What happens if you buy your first property and discover you hate being a landlord? With a single family home, you can sell it easily. Your buyer pool includes both investors and regular families looking for a place to live. That’s a huge market.

Multifamily properties? Your buyers are mainly other investors. The pool is smaller, and selling takes longer.

Your First Property Will Sit Empty

Here’s what nobody tells you: when you buy your first rental property, it starts empty. You’re carrying the entire mortgage payment yourself until you find a tenant. That’s scary when you have no other rental income to fall back on.

Once you own multiple properties, a vacancy becomes manageable. Your other tenants are still paying rent, so you can cover the shortfall. But that first vacancy hits different.

Appreciation Is Your Friend

Single family homes appreciate well, especially during housing shortages. Canada doesn’t have enough housing for everyone who wants to live here. Government plans to accept more newcomers will make this worse before it gets better.

In many markets, single family homes are riding a strong wave of value increases. You get to benefit from that while you learn the rental property game.

Cash Flow Won’t Be Amazing (And That’s Okay)

Let’s be honest – single family homes don’t generate massive monthly cash flow. Some barely break even after all expenses. But that’s not the point of your first property.

Your first investment is about gaining experience and building equity. The big cash flow comes later when you move to multifamily properties.

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The Smart Mortgage Strategy for Your First Property

Get a variable rate mortgage for your first investment property. I know rates might go up, but this isn’t about getting the lowest rate.

Variable rate mortgages have tiny penalties – just three months of interest. If you decide after a year that you hate being a landlord, you can sell without paying a massive penalty.

Fixed rate mortgages? Those penalties can be tens of thousands of dollars. That’s a lot of money to lose just because you discovered real estate investing isn’t for you.

After one year, you’ll know if you want to keep investing. If you do, you can convert to a fixed rate. If not, you can sell and pay the small penalty.

Get a Property Manager (Even If It Kills Your Cash Flow)

This is critical: hire a property manager for your first rental property. Even if it means you barely break even each month.

Here’s what I’ve noticed working with hundreds of investors: the ones who quit and sell their rentals are almost always the ones who tried to do everything themselves.

Property managers know how to screen tenants properly. They check income, credit, references, and have access to databases of problem tenants. You don’t have any of that knowledge or those tools.

A bad tenant can turn your investment into a nightmare. One non-paying tenant who damages your property will cost you way more than a year of property management fees.

Breaking even while saving yourself massive headaches is absolutely worth it. You’re building equity through appreciation and mortgage paydown anyway.

When to Move to Multifamily Properties

Once you’ve owned a single family rental for a year and you like it, you’re ready to think bigger. Multifamily is where the real money lives.

Here’s a real example from my own portfolio: I own a single family property that has gone up so much in value that I could sell it and use the equity as a full down payment on a 12-unit apartment building. That’s going from one unit to 12 units with one move.

Why Multifamily Makes More Money

The cash flow from multifamily properties destroys single family homes. Multiple rent checks coming in every month creates serious income.

But the best part? Vacancies don’t kill you. If one unit sits empty in a fourplex, you’ve still got three other units paying rent. Your mortgage still gets paid. You sleep better at night.

Repairs Cost Less Per Unit

Need to replace flooring? Doing two units at once in the same building is cheaper per unit than doing one unit in a single family home.

Contractors give you better pricing when the job is bigger. They only have to show up to one location. You can buy materials in bulk. Hardware stores give discounts when you spend more.

These savings add up to thousands of dollars over time.

Your Property Value Follows Your Rents

Here’s something cool about multifamily properties: their value is directly tied to how much rent they generate. Higher rents mean higher property values.

This creates an opportunity. Buy a multifamily property where tenants are paying below-market rents. Raise rents to market rates when leases renew. Watch your property value jump.

Two identical buildings – one with high rents, one with low rents – will sell for very different prices. Investors pay more for properties that make more money.

The Challenges Nobody Mentions

Multifamily properties come with headaches that single family homes don’t have. Mainly: neighbor problems.

Tenants complain about noise from other units. Someone has a party. Another person works night shifts and sleeps during the day. People fight over parking spots. It’s like being a kindergarten teacher sometimes.

This is where a great property manager becomes even more valuable. My property manager in Windsor actually matches tenant personalities when filling vacancies. He thinks about whether a new tenant will get along with the existing tenants.

This might mean a unit sits empty an extra month while he finds the right fit. But fewer complaint calls and happier tenants are worth way more than one month’s rent.

The Path Forward

Here’s what this looks like in practice:

Start with a single family home. Get your feet wet. Learn how rental properties work. Use a property manager. Accept modest cash flow. Build experience and equity.

After one year, decide if you like it. If you hate being a landlord, sell and move on with your life. The variable rate mortgage makes this cheap and easy.

If you love it, expand to multifamily. Keep your single family rental if you want, or sell it and use the equity to buy a multifamily property. Now you’re playing a different game with better cash flow and less vacancy risk.

Scale from there. Use the cash flow from multifamily properties to buy more properties or pay down mortgages faster. Your investment gets easier as you go because you have multiple income streams protecting you.

Your first property will be the hardest. But it gets easier. And if you follow this path, you’ll build real wealth through real estate without burning out in year one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy a single family home or multifamily property as my first investment?

Start with a single family home. It's easier to manage, easier to sell if things don't work out, and gives you valuable experience without overwhelming complexity. Multifamily properties generate more cash flow, but they're better as your second or third investment once you understand how rental properties work.

Why should I get a variable rate mortgage on my first rental property?

Variable rate mortgages have small penalties – just three months of interest if you need to break the mortgage. This gives you an easy exit if you discover you don't like being a landlord. Fixed rate penalties can be tens of thousands of dollars, trapping you in an investment you might not want.

Do I really need a property manager for a single family rental?

Yes. Property managers know how to screen tenants properly and handle problems you don't have experience with. Even if hiring a manager means you barely break even, it's worth it to avoid the massive headaches and costly mistakes that drive new investors to quit. Investors who try to do everything themselves are the ones who end up selling their properties.

How much cash flow should I expect from my first single family rental?

Don't expect huge cash flow from a single family home – some barely break even after all expenses. That's okay. Your first property is about gaining experience and building equity through appreciation and mortgage paydown. The serious cash flow comes later when you move to multifamily properties.

What's the biggest advantage of multifamily properties over single family?

Vacancy protection. When you own a fourplex and one unit sits empty, you still have three other units paying rent to cover your mortgage. With a single family home, a vacancy means you're covering 100% of the costs yourself. This makes multifamily properties much less stressful to own.

When should I move from single family to multifamily investing?

After you've owned a single family rental for about a year and confirmed you enjoy real estate investing. At that point, you have experience, confidence, and probably some equity built up. You can either keep your single family property and add multifamily, or sell the single family and use the equity as a down payment on a larger multifamily building.

Why do multifamily properties have cheaper repairs per unit?

Contractors give better pricing for bigger jobs because they only travel to one location and the total project is worth more to them. You can also buy materials in bulk and qualify for volume discounts. Replacing flooring in two units of a fourplex costs less per unit than replacing flooring in a single family home.

What makes multifamily properties increase in value?

Multifamily property values are directly tied to rental income. Higher rents mean higher property values because investors calculate their returns based on income. This creates opportunities to force appreciation by buying properties with below-market rents and raising them to market rates over time.

Disclaimer: LendCity Mortgages is a licensed mortgage brokerage, and our team includes experienced real estate investors. While we are qualified to provide mortgage-related guidance, the broader financial, tax, and legal information in this article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial planning, tax, or legal advice. For matters outside mortgage financing, we recommend consulting a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), licensed financial planner, or qualified legal advisor.

Written by

LendCity

Published

December 22, 2025

First Investment Property: Single Family vs Multifamily Guide