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Why Buying a Home is the Best Investment

Welcome to The Chris Kennedy Team Mortgage Blog

Honest, local, easy-to-understand mortgage guidance for buyers and homeowners across Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo Counties.

Hi — I'm Chris Kennedy. For years, I've helped first-time buyers, veterans, families upsizing into their forever homes, and seasoned investors navigate one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives: getting a mortgage in the greater Sacramento area.

This blog exists for one simple reason. Most mortgage advice online is generic, confusing, or written by people who've never closed a loan in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, or Davis. I wanted to change that.

Every post on this site is written for you — the buyer, homeowner, or veteran trying to make sense of mortgages in a real Northern California market. Real numbers. Real neighborhoods. Real programs that actually work here.

What you'll find on this blog

Whether you're brand new to homebuying or you've owned for decades, you'll find practical, local guidance on every part of the mortgage process. The articles below cover:

For first-time buyers — How to qualify, how much you really need to put down, how to use CalHFA assistance, and how to stop waiting and start owning.

For veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses — Everything you need to know about putting your VA home loan benefit to work in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, and beyond. Zero down. No PMI. The benefit you earned.

For move-up buyers and luxury buyers — Jumbo loan strategies for higher-priced markets like El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Serrano, and Bass Lake — including how to qualify, what reserves you'll need, and how to compete in luxury bidding wars.

For investors and wealth-builders — How to use FHA multi-family loans (yes, with just 3.5% down) to "house hack" your first investment property, plus the long-term wealth-building strategy that real estate quietly delivers better than almost any other investment.

For buyers in rural and semi-rural areas — A breakdown of USDA loans across Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo counties, where surprisingly large portions of the region qualify for $0-down financing.

For credit-building buyers — How FHA loans help buyers with imperfect credit get into Sacramento-area homes, plus practical credit improvement strategies that actually move the needle.

Why this blog is different

Three things set this content apart:

It's local. Every article names real neighborhoods, real Sacramento-area home prices, and real programs available in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo counties — not vague national advice.

It's honest. I tell you what works, what doesn't, what the catches are, and when a loan isn't right for you. No high-pressure pitches. No fine print buried at the bottom.

It's actionable. Every post is built so that by the end, you know what to do next — whether that's running numbers, checking eligibility, or starting a conversation.

A little about me

I've spent my career helping Sacramento-area families navigate mortgages — through every kind of market, every kind of loan, and every kind of buyer situation. I've helped:

First-time buyers close with $0–$5,000 out of pocket using FHA + CalHFA strategies
Veterans buy in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills with zero down
Move-up families step into luxury markets using jumbo financing
Investors build long-term wealth through smart house-hacking and refinance strategies
Self-employed borrowers other lenders turned away find creative solutions

My team and I serve the entire greater Sacramento region, including:

Sacramento County — Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Antelope, Natomas
Placer County — Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Auburn, Loomis, Granite Bay
El Dorado County — El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville, Diamond Springs, Pollock Pines
Yolo County — Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters, Esparto

If you're buying anywhere in Northern California, there's a good chance we can help.

Start exploring

Scroll down to find articles tailored to your situation. If you're not sure where to begin, here are three good starting points:

First-time buyer? Start with First-Time Homebuyer Programs in Sacramento.
Veteran or active-duty? Start with VA Home Loans: How Veterans Can Buy a Sacramento-Area Home With $0 Down.
Buying in a higher-priced market? Start with Jumbo Loans in El Dorado Hills.

Ready to talk?

Reading is great — but a 15-minute conversation will tell you more about what's possible for your specific situation than any article ever could. No pressure, no obligation, no salesy follow-up calls.

Chris Kennedy | The Chris Kennedy Team NMLS# 971546 Mortgage Lender serving Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo Counties www.thechriskennedyteam.com

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The Chris Kennedy Team specializes in FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, jumbo, and CalHFA loans throughout Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Davis, Woodland, Auburn, Lincoln, Rocklin, Cameron Park, and the surrounding Northern California region. Browse the articles below to learn more — or reach out anytime.

House Hacking in Sacramento: How to Live (Almost) Free in 2026

House hacking is the simple, sneaky-smart idea of buying a home and having someone else help pay for it. In Sacramento, with rents staying high and home prices stable enough to underwrite, it's one of the best wealth-building moves a first-time buyer can make. And no — it isn't just for Bay Area refugees with seven figures in the bank.

Here's what house hacking actually looks like, and how Sacramento buyers are doing it right now.

The three main flavors of house hacking

1. Buy a multi-unit, live in one side

The classic. A duplex, triplex, or 4-plex where you occupy one unit and rent the others. With an FHA loan you can do this for 3.5% down. With a VA loan (if you've served), zero down. The rent from the other units offsets — sometimes fully covers — your mortgage.

2. Buy a single-family home with an ADU

Sacramento has been ADU-friendly for years. A home with a detached granny flat, garage conversion, or basement apartment lets you live in the main house and rent the ADU. Often this is the easiest version because there are way more single-family homes with ADUs than there are duplexes.

3. Buy a bigger single-family home and rent the bedrooms

Less glamorous but extremely effective. Buy a 4-bedroom in Tahoe Park, North Natomas, or Arden-Arcade, live in one room, rent the others to coworkers or grad students. Cash flow can rival a duplex without the multi-unit complexity.

What the numbers can look like

Quick example: a $500,000 duplex in Sacramento with 3.5% down on an FHA loan might carry a total housing payment around $3,800/month (including taxes, insurance, and PMI). Rent the other unit for $1,800. Your effective housing cost just dropped to $2,000 — less than most one-bedroom apartments in midtown.

Real numbers vary based on rates, taxes, and the property. But you can see the shape of it.

Best Sacramento neighborhoods for house hacking

• Oak Park, Tahoe Park, and Curtis Park — older housing stock, lots of duplexes and ADU-friendly lots

• North Sacramento and Del Paso Heights — lower entry prices, strong rental demand

• West Sacramento — under-the-radar multi-unit inventory

• Citrus Heights and Carmichael — single-family with ADU potential

• Elk Grove — newer homes with junior ADU options

Financing your house hack

Three loan types do most of the work here: FHA (3.5% down, primary residence, up to 4 units), VA (zero down for eligible service members, up to 4 units), and conventional (5% down for owner-occupied 2-4 units in some programs).

FAQ

Do I have to live in the property?

For these low-down-payment programs, yes — typically 12 months of primary occupancy.

Can I use future rental income to qualify?

Often yes. Lenders generally use 75% of projected market rent from the non-owner-occupied units.

What's the catch?

You'll be a landlord. That means tenant screening, occasional maintenance calls, and managing a small business. For most house hackers, the financial upside makes it worth it — but go in with eyes open.

Is house hacking still worth it with current rates?

Yes, because rental income offsets the higher rate environment. The spread between rent and mortgage payment is what matters, not the rate alone.

Chris KennedyMay 26, 2026Comment

Sacramento Housing Blog