I work in the Kirkland area, looking to house hack within an hour commute. One approach I am strongly considering is a house with a separate living area, mother in law (MIL) suite, additional dwelling unit (ADU), etc. What kind of pitfalls should I look out for, for the greater Seattle area (I'm mostly looking at the north Bothell, Everett, Lynwood areas), and specifically in terms of laws and regulations that could catch me off guard? I'm definitely open to all other advice as well, but am concerned about buying a property where I think I can rent out the MIL, but then hit some law that prevents me from doing so, or causes expensive alteration to meet MIL regulations.
My experience with the Everett permit office has been they are friendly and willing to help. I think if you visit them in person you will also help build a relationship for your future permit needs.
Hey Steve W.
We were discussing some of these same things over at:
Zoning/ADU advice in Seattle on the BiggerPockets forums
http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/396578-zoning-adu-advice-in-seattle
You may find the conversation and links helpful there.
@Andrew Hill Thanks for the offer. I am working closely with an individual already who is giving me lots of assistance.
@Zack Clark Thanks for pointing me to that forum. Eye opening, but the conversation seems to have died out so I will continue to investigate here. I did not realize that zoning would be an issue. I had been expecting more along the lines of "requires dedicated parking space" or "kitchen may not have a stove" type of thing.
So for zoning - specifically for Everett, does anyone know how to determine the zoning for a parcel, and if that zoning allows a MIL? For example, converting a (very large) garage into a separate (but attached) living space.
I would appreciate any insight others have, but in the mean time I will try calling some government offices and post here if I find my answer.
My experience with the Everett permit office has been they are friendly and willing to help. I think if you visit them in person you will also help build a relationship for your future permit needs.
Definitely depends on your city and county laws. They vary from city to city and depending if you're in the city lines. In most cases, if you're outside official city lines, county codes apply. Typically, you'll be able to find the zoning or use code via the county assessor website. Here's Everett's zoning map. Typically a MIL in an SFR-type zoning requires owner-occupant in either the main unit or in the MIL. Keep that in mind when renovating for resale value because not all buyers want to be renting out or be using the space separately. Whereas a duplex should be zoned accordingly and usually have separate mailing addresses, utility meters, etc.
@Sam R. You are right, I gave them a call, very friendly and helpful.
@Louis Chan Thanks for that map. I had looked at the county assessor map and it seems to me the zoning language is different. County looks something like "111" and Everett "R2" (not that those two are related, just examples of the language used). So, in the case of Everett, I am just going to use their maps instead.
As I mentioned, I called Everett zoning and they gave me some good information. Here is what I found.
1. An interactive map can be found here. Allows for ease of finding a particular address on the zoning map.
2. Based on very recent zoning regulation updates, both R1 and R2 can have ADUs or DADUs. Classifying as (D)ADU means the property must be owner occupied, but the owner can either reside in the main unit or the (D)ADU. The ordinance can be found here
I haven't spent much time reading the Zoning Code yet, and will likely visit the zoning office to walk through items of interest as the need arises. Seems like this will set me on the path to answer the questions I initially stated in this post. If anything of interest comes up I will continue to document it here.
Of course anyone else who can chime in is welcome and appreciated :)
I grew up in Everett (R1) and we always had a rented basement mother-in-law in our house. It was by the college and about 20 years ago (jeez, I can't believe I'm giving old advice). My parents also had lots of different rental home that were duplexes in R2. They were older homes split top and basement (heck, I just saw one of them on the market a couple months ago), or two houses on one lot.
It looks like the R2 area is where you will find most of the opportunities for multiple units anyway. Kuddos for you for finding value add solutions like adding more units.