Keeping It REAL - by Bettsy Tyler

The mid 1950’s was a time of development in California. The small farms and rural communities were fast becoming suburban tracks of the American dream. A family making the median income could afford to buy a brand-new home in a mass-produced suburb on the outskirts of cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The single-family home and suburban dream of 65 years ago became the American housing system. Year after year developments were built with basically similar homes with similar lots sizes surrounded by fences and sidewalks. Yet California has had a housing shortage for decades. Fast forward to 2021. It is not news that California home prices are some of the highest in the nation. Those same suburban homes today require two times the median income to even think about purchasing. They are no longer on the outskirts as cities and businesses sprawled outward. Since the mid 1970’s, when housing began out-pacing wages, many warned that the housing problems would remain...

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 studi...