How do I market a house with an ADU or a duplex to a buyer who will live there?
Lead with the home, then prove the rent. Say which unit the buyer can move into and when, and show that unit first. Have the signed lease and rent records for the other unit ready to send.
WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE NEVER TOLD
Fannie Mae and FHA expect a buyer to move in within 60 days of closing, so their first question is which unit will be empty, and when. A typical listing gives the unit count and leaves that out.
A buyer who will live there is weighing your listing against a house, and they are a second audience worth writing for. In Travis County, Texas, over six months in 2026, more two-to-four unit listings expired or were withdrawn than sold.
- Name the unit that will be empty, and the date.
- Give the other unit's rent and lease end date. Have the signed lease and two months of rent records ready. A Fannie Mae lender counting that rent usually needs both.
- State the legal unit count, checked against zoning. The appraiser has to report whether the use is legal.
- Label the unit they would live in and open the photos on it.
Describe the property and its use, never the kind of person it suits, because the Fair Housing Act covers listing remarks. Leave out down payments and monthly payments. Under Regulation Z, the federal rule on loan ads, a payment amount in remarks that promote financing triggers required disclosures, for agents too. Your broker confirms the wording.
GOOD TO KNOW
Confirm the lease dates with your seller, because a Fannie Mae or FHA buyer has to meet the 60-day move-in rule. If every lease runs long and no tenant will leave, the buyer is an investor until a unit opens, so say so in the listing.
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WHERE THIS COMES FROM
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B2-1.1-01, Occupancy Types (11/04/2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.8-01, General Rental Income Information (09/02/2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.8-02, Rental Income from the Subject Property (09/02/2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-1.3-04, Site Section of the Appraisal Report (06/04/2025)
- HUD Handbook 4000.1, FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook (last revised 8/12/2026): II.A.1.b.iii occupancy
- CFPB, Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.24, Advertising
- CFPB, Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.2(a)(2), official interpretation: who the advertising rules cover
- HUD, Housing Discrimination Under the Fair Housing Act
- Federal Reserve, Consumer Compliance Handbook: Fair Housing Act (1/06)
- Series Homes analysis of Unlock MLS listings
Researched and written by Series Homes. Checked against its sources on . Lending rules change. This page is general information, not a loan offer or legal or tax advice.