The unit count on the listing is not always the unit count on the property card

A building advertised as six units is sometimes recorded as something else entirely. Listing subtype fields get filled in quickly, and "duplex" on a six-unit property is a common result. It matters far beyond tidiness. Financing depends on it. One to four units is residential lending; five and up is commercial, with different terms, different underwriting and a different closing timeline. A buyer who budgets for a residential loan on a property that is actually commercial loses weeks. Zoning and legality depend on it too. A structure with more units in use than the certificate of occupancy allows is a converted property, and the extra units may be unpermitted. The income from them is real until a code enforcement complaint makes it stop being real. Three checks before an offer. Pull the parcel on the county property appraiser's site and read the building record: unit count, year built, square footage per unit. Ask the municipality for the certificate of occupancy and any open permits. And compare total square footage to the unit count — a six-unit building whose record shows a few hundred square feet per unit is telling you something about how the units were created. None of this requires a consultant. It requires two public websites and a phone call, done before the inspection period rather than after. This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and every deal is different — check your own case with a licensed professional. Alberto Zaltzberg — Adonait · adonait.com