Accessory Dwelling Units – commonly known as ADUs if you are
familiar with real estate lingo. These are the “tiny houses”, “granny units”, “In-law
units”, backyard cottages”, “or secondary units” that you can build somewhere
on your property to house well, your in-laws, granny, friends, or rent out for extra
income. Many Air B&B’s’s across America are simply ADUs, or Junior ADU’s
which means an area built within the confines of your home (basement, attic,
master suite conversion.)
Many people will buy a house because it has an ADU
and that extra rental income can be quite a windfall in helping pay the
mortgage. It could also come in handy if the folks want or need to move close
to you – then they can help with your mortgage! There are many
advantages to having these ADUs besides money $$$. But there is no doubt that
having an ADU on your property increases the value mainly because of all the
options they provide. Spare work out area, office space, music room, yoga
studio, writing studio, get-away-from-the-rest-of-the-family space. I am sure
people with ADU’s have been making good use of them during the Stay-at-Home
times.
There are even calculators for figuring
out how much it would cost to build and ADU and what the cost benefits would be
in return for rent. Every county or city in California have their own
requirements for ADUs but the CA Department of Housing and Community Development
has improved various provisions in order to promote the development of ADUs.
California housing is at a premium and making it easier for people to include
ADUs on their property will only increase the much needed housing, particularly
in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. At one time it was a huge challenge to get
approvals for ADUs not to mention a huge cost in permits. But with the new
mandate from the state, counties have been strongly encouraged to find ways to
allow people to build the extra housing without breaking the bank.
The addition of an ADU to your property brings you one step
closer to the family compound idea so many people seek. Having a
compound of family or close friends sharing some space, but not all, is a
common desire for many seeking housing. It is not just cost effective, but the strength
of community that comes with it is an old-fashioned idea that is coming back
into popularity. Many like the idea of having people they know and maybe even
love, living close to them to share in responsibilities, take care of the yard
or look after pets when others are away or travelling, sharing in costs by
buying in bulk, having multi-generational residents provides advantages such as
babysitting for some and yard or home maintenance for others. All with people
you know or trust. Co-housing doesn’t come without issues, of course, but it is
a new – old way of thinking and it is very popular in the Santa Cruz and
Monterey areas I serve.
There is a lot more to know about ADUs but this gives you an
idea of what they are what they can be used for. If you are interested in
knowing more, check out your county or city’s website and review their
parameters. For Santa Cruz County
click here and for Monterey
County here. If you live in a particular city you’ll have to look up that
city’s requirements. It’s good to know, just in case you get that call that Mom
wants to come visit – and she doesn’t leave 😊.
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