Originally Posted by John Doe

I think that is a horrible idea, Hatt. The only reason for you to do a spec house is if you and some pals had the money laying around to invest and were maxed out on traditional tax sheltered savings vehicles and one of you knew how to build a house.

Mark my words, if you are even able to build a spec house at this stage, I bet you will be paying for it (not the other way around) for ten years.

Buy a ****ty duplex, live in one side and learn how to fix it up yourself. Pay it off and move on.