ADU/in-law unit in Newark, Bay area

ADU/in-law unit in Newark, Bay area

Lender · Palo Alto, CA · Member since 2018 · 14 posts · 8 votes

Howdy BP folks, 

I am firstimer, please bear my lengthy writeup.
Need some inputs for deciding to build ADU unit in side yard of my house.

Situation: Have a day job along with a kid. Cannot spend full time on the project. First time house buyer. 

My homework so far: 

Construction:

600 sqft allowed in my lot in Newark. Recent state laws have eased prices for utilities, approval processes. 

Tiring part is with contractors; finding one for small projects, timely completion and extra costs. Typical quotes are $250 to $350+ per sqft. which would make project about $200K in total. Prefab homes upon additions (redesign for approval, amenities) would come close to $120K+ they are not guaranteed/proven yet. So i think better to go with traditional build up.

Finance:

With 50K in hand, I would need financing for $150K. with mortgage (20yrs), EMI comes to about 1.1K per month.

Typical rent is around $1800/month. accounting maintenance, tax, occupancy rate. there would be avg gain of $500/month.

My concerns: 

Appraisal/Sell ability of main property after ADU.

Is time/effort in construction worth the effort? Is it better off with 50K invested elsewhere (ETFs/stocks)

Can I buy another property for 250K elsewhere and get slightly lower returns.

It would be great for me if you can provide inputs on any of these points, raise flags, suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

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Rental Property Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y

I'd start talking to local realtors to get a sense if an ADU is seen as a plus for resale purposes. Especially in a suburban setting. On one hand you have an extra unit, for rental or extended family uses, which would be seen as a plus. OTOH most people just want an SFH and don't need/want an extra unit to deal with. (You'd also want to compare the value of adding 600 sq ft extension to the home vs an ADU.) Experienced realtors in your are can help you get an answer on that. Remember, it's an opinion, so I'd seek many perspectives, and see if you can draw a conclusion. I can tell you that in San Francisco proper, ADUs are generally seen as a plus, but the built environment here is much more dense. Suburban buyers may see it differently.

Let us know what info you get on this!

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  • Member since 2018 · 7 posts · 2 votes
    8y

    Hi,

    I have a 2700 sq ft home in Union City and already started the design on 800 sq ft of ADU. Now I am having second thoughts , since my property is already valued high enough and additing additional 800 sq ft with $250k investment makes sense . Thoughts?

    I am not sure if I should go ahead with the plan. I might stay another 7-8 years on the property . Will I get back 250k I am investing + rents (2k / month). Can I just add 250k to my exiting home , if I sell the property after the ADU is build ?

  • Rental Property Investor · Santa Clara, CA · Member since 2019 · 160 posts · 156 votes
    7y

    @Vipul Parikh @Harish Maiya

    I asked realtors/banks around about reappraisal value - if you can build an attached ADU, the additional square footage will definitely be counted as part of the main house in terms $$/sqft, because it's easy to find comparable houses within 5-10 miles. Lots of houses in the area are partitioned into a couple of units.

  • Brian LarsonPro Member
    Investor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2018 · 313 posts · 230 votes
    7y

    @Chen Zhou - Thanks for sharing your experience with appraisal value

  • San Jose, CA · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 4 votes
    7y

    if you take a permit. attached or detached adu. the sq ft will still get added to total sq ft

  • Rental Property Investor · Santa Clara, CA · Member since 2019 · 160 posts · 156 votes
    7y

    @Binod G.

    ...My point is that it's harder to find comps where detached ADU's square footage is valued the same as the main house in terms of $$/sqft...

  • New to Real Estate · San Jose, CA · Member since 2017 · 91 posts · 23 votes
    7y

    Does converting a garage to ADU reduce value of the house? I have been reading that if you convert a garage to ADU, it reduces value.

  • Rental Property Investor · Santa Clara, CA · Member since 2019 · 160 posts · 156 votes
    7y

    @Gaurav Mehta

    I don't think a garage conversion would reduce the value as it can generate rental income, but the additional square footage might not be valued at the same $$/sqft as the main house, depending on whether it's attached vs. detached.

  • Realtor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 28 posts · 30 votes
    7y

    There are some prefab options that would reduce cost like this https://backporchhomes.lpages.co/back-porch-homes-...

    $50K with $3500 down and $439 month is pretty reasonable, not sure if this is something that would work in all areas, or if they are available in your area, but, the idea behind these are that they can be an affordable option with minimal city/county regs to restrict. 

  • Member since 2019 · 31 posts · 11 votes
    7y

    The question of how to value an ADU upon resale of the property reminds me of the same issue regarding solar panel systems. Many companies touted the add on value as simple math where the energy savings translated to extra value equal to the cost of the system. My own research (and to be fair, this was a few years ago) after speaking with a few appraisers was that the value was only in what similar homes sold for. But I agree that the added sq footage should in and of itself, add value.

  • Member since 2022 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    4y

    This is an older post but wondering how this all worked out for you? I'm in Newark as well and curious about adding ADU vs house sq footage.

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