Massachusetts ADU Questions

[Ryan M.]

Hi Everyone 

8 years ago I bought a single family in Framingham that had a pretty convenient layout and proper zoning to be turned into a duplex. I converted it and house hacked it for about a year. I have had both units rented out ever since moving out and it cash flows nicely. I'm back in a position where I would like to expand my portfolio. I saw that Framingham has recently approved ADUs. It looks like it may be restricted to the use of family members of the owner/ occupant. In the current market it seems house hacking with the use of an ADU would be a great way to go. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with which Massachusetts communities are the most lenient when approving the addition of ADUs ? Also is anyone aware of towns that will allow you to build ADUs that are not restricted to owner occupied renting? Ideally I'm looking for towns within an hour of Boston. Let me know if you've got any experience with this process in Mass!

Thanks

[Andrew Postell]

@Ryan M. to answer your question directly I would highly suggest getting with some local real estate meetup groups. Meetup.com is a good resource for those but some of the groups will also post here on Bigger Pockets Marketplace too. Even facebook might have some good local groups for you. Those facebook pages will have thousands of members and you dont' actually have to attend a meeting - you can just post this same question.  Would still recommend networking in person if you can. 

Now, one of the things you aren't asking - Does it make financial sense to build an ADU as opposed to purchasing another property? Meaning, building an ADU would require more out of pocket for you. It might be hard to get that ADU financed. So, if you have to come out of pocket $100k...would that be better spent building...or just buying another rental property. And that's why most of us just go out and buy rental properties. You can do whatever you want of course...but the financing piece of this is the main reason why most people don't just go and build ADU's.

Hope all of that makes sense.