All Forum Posts by: JT Goodwin

Automation Engineer here. Honestly, my mechanical design background has made my estimating for repairs be extremely accurate as I am able to design the new layouts, walls, electrical, plumbing and more within CAD which gives me very accurate costs. I am usually only off at most a few hundred bucks when it comes to fixed material costs. 

I am an industrial automation engineer and love what I do, but I just found that climbing the corporate ladder wasn't as thrilling as building something for your family. I bought my first duplex this year and fixed it up. My wife and I live in one and rent the other. This has reduce our living costs substantially. The day we move out it cash flows so it allows us to take bigger risks in the future. 

@Robert Chuang @Andrew Aladjadjian

I just wanted to give you an update for the City of Buena Park and their ADU laws. Please see link below. From my understanding I should be able to make an ADU and JADU on the property.

http://www.buenapark.com/home/...

Regards,

@Robert Chuang @Andrew Aladjadjian Thank you for the input I am definitely going to be working closely with the city on this property. We are very close to closing this property so I will definitely give an update to this forum so that you guys stay in the loop. Hopefully with these new laws everything I want to do is in favor with the city and planning department. 

Thanks!

@Robert Chuang 

I think I am confused on what you meant by the following statement:

"Some would combine adu+jadu/900+adu+jadu (as primary sqft)" 

Could you expand upon that? 

Also, this property is in Buena Park,CA and talking with the city I have been told they have accepted the new state laws on ADUs, but it is still a new area for them so the process is a grey area.

Hey Andrew, 

Thanks for the response. I think the the detached ADU that will be under 750 sq ft. is not the main concern on this property since the ~430 sqft layout that is currently there is already permitted and I just want to add on to that.

You stated that the JADU can't be more than 50% of the primary residence which would put the JADU at 450sqft since the main property is just over 900Sqft.

I think my main question is would I be able to go straight into a JADU add on that is attached to the main house with a max footprint of 450sqft? Or would I need to convert the primary residence into a 1350sqft house and then change it into a JADU through the city? The rough layout is in the image below with what I want to do and the total lot coverage is still below 40% which is the max the city allows. I believe this layout is roughly 31% lot coverage. 

Hello BP Family,

I am in escrow for a SFR that has a permitted 432 sq ft ADU on it already. The property does need a good amount of work, but 90% of that work is outside cleanup, dump runs, and new fencing to make it look great. The inside of the ADU looks to be pretty new so it looks like it was redone probably 5 years ago or so. It has its own meter for gas and electric which is awesome. The best part is that I have been reading a lot of the new 2020 California ADU law since I am hoping to expand upon that existing ADU. From what I have read there are no impact fees for an ADU if it is under 750 sq ft.

My main question is on the JADU which cannot exceed 500 sq ft. It sounds like, from what I have read, that if the ADU is detached that means you can also build a JADU on the SFR lot, but it has to be within the primary home. Is that correct?

For example, the primary house is 900 sq ft and the detached ADU is 432 sq ft. If I were to expand upon the main house and make it 1400 sq ft, which is definitely doable, would I then be able to turn around and get that section closed off and convert it into a 500 sq ft or less JADU? This would allow me to essentially turn this SFR into a property with 3 legal permitted units. Is this realistic with the new state laws in CA?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I have a hard time understanding the 10% deposit. Is that a 10% deposit on the asking price which will be converted to the down payment on the house if accepted? I have found a probate property, in CA, and I really want to get an FHA loan on this property and have enough for a 4% down payment on a property at this price. How does this work? Would i have to possibly borrow hard money to put this deposit down and then have a larger FHA loan to cover the other 6% I couldn't pay?

@Scott Smith Thank you for all the information I really appreciate it. I am going to go through all the information you provided right now. Everything I have been researching thus far is stating the set up is the most important phase of starting an LLC. I want to make sure I structure it correctly the first time to avoid future headaches. I look forward for more information when you DM me a few other sources.

 Hello Scott,

I have a question regarding how to structure your LLC by keeping your name out of the company and keeping it in a trust. Do you have any recommended books , sites, or other resources on how to structure your LLC for maximum asset protection and tax strategies?

Thanks,