Whether you’re shopping for a home or trying to decide what kinds of home renovations would add to your family’s happiness, you have to consider one of the hottest trends in home design right now. According to the Homelight Insights Report, ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, are a major draw and are experiencing quite a moment in the market. Here’s why this addition to a home should be a top consideration when purchasing or renovating.
What Counts As An ADU?
Accessory dwelling units can be many things, in practice. The most basic form of the accessory dwelling unit is the in-law suite, a room or rooms that have their own separate restroom. Beyond that, ADUs can include:
- Converted garages that become full apartments.
- Finished basements with separate entrances and even a kitchenette.
- Attached ADUs are separate structures like tiny homes or guest houses
- Attic apartments
The main idea is that an ADU gives those who live in them a separate space from the rest of the home, one that could be appropriate for a renter or a separate family unit so that two or more family units aren’t always in each other’s way in the house.
What Circumstances Benefit From An ADU?
This past year, one major use for ADUs was to house grandparents who wanted to be able to COVID “bubble” with their children and grandchildren, creating multigenerational households. Through sharing tasks like housekeeping, remote work, and childcare, these families could come together for tasks that they had in common while using separate dwellings to have some independence and space.
Other people use an ADU as a rental income source, either through short-term rentals or a long-term lease. This rental income can help to offset the costs of mortgage payments in high-cost-of-living areas, and during the height of the pandemic, some of these facilities were more popular than hotel rooms due to efforts to socially distance.
There are quite a few other ways that ADUs can be helpful, from being used as studio space or a home office to housing adult children who are between other housing arrangements or are job hunting and not wanting to commit to their next housing location without a job offer in hand. Having a spare place for someone to crash but with a few comforts like a kitchenette and separate entrance comes in handy in many circumstances, especially if someone ends up staying longer than planned.
Market An ADU Well With An Agent
If you do have an ADU on your home, you ought to see a very good surge in interest because of it when you go to sell your house. Finding and working with an agent can help you to get the most for the ADU and the rest of your home’s unique positive qualities. Agents will also be able to advise on whether adding a small feature, such as a sink and countertop, would add enough to the value of a currently existing ADU to make such an upgrade worthwhile before the sale. They are your advocate and are interested in maximizing the value you get from selling your home!
