Having an Accessory Dwelling Unit can be a great option for Boomers who wish to Age in Place
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is legally part of the same property as the main home and cannot be bought or sold separately. You may know them as granny flats, in-law suites, laneway houses, backyard cottages, basement apartments or even tiny houses.
If you're not familiar yet, you are going to be hearing a lot about ADUs and heres why:
People are building ADUs for lots of reasons, but the most common goals are gaining income via rent and housing a family member, according to https://accessorydwellings.org. As a Baby Boomer, I can see uses for ADUs for things like housing for boomerang children, aging parents and eventually, caretakers.
There are some rules and regulations that apply when considering an ADU in certain areas. Most zoning regulations require that the owner live in the main home or the ADU; both cannot be rented. Over the years, you may continue to live in the main home while use of the ADU changes. Or, you may move into the ADU at some point and rent the main home to a family member or caregiver. There are so many possibilities and that is what appeals to many of my friends and associates of a certain age.
How do you feel about ADUs in your neighborhood?
Does zoning allow multiple dwellings on one property in your neighborhood or the one you are moving to? If the answer is Yes, does that make the neighborhood more desirable, especially if this is your retirement home?
In my research, I came across articles that raise questions about the positive and potential negative impact on neighborhoods.
This recent article points to the fact that the current standards of one family per dwelling came about post World War II and concludes that, by novelty or necessity, accessory dwelling units are coming to your area.
In this article about Tiny Houses coming to Baltimore, Gregory Friedman, the author, reminds us that carriage houses exist in neighborhoods like Mt. Vernon and Charles Village and could be built in the backyards and garages of expensive neighborhoods like Roland Parks, which could provide affordable housing through allowing individuals who would otherwise be unable to afford to live in these communities.
The benefit to aging Baby Boomers
In Delaware, this is where I see the most benefit. I dont know about you, but I have absolutely no intention of being moved into a CCRC or Assisted Living, no matter hold long I live. Not only are they very expensive, but it is not the way I want to live. To me, the idea of having a tiny house in my backyard or a garage apartment to house a caregiver is a far better solution and I am all for it. But what about you?
Ready for a contest? Let me ask you a few questions. Send me an email to Broker@ActiveAdultsRealty.com answering the below questions and you will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Gift Card to Cultured Pearl in Rehoboth Beach. Please be sure to include your name and phone number with your answers. Your identity will not be disclosed, but we will put all responses into a hat and pull the winner after July 1st.
Answer Yes or No to the following questions:
- Would you buy a home in a neighborhood which allowed ADUs?
- If you have aging parents, would this enable you to move them with you?
- Would you want the neighborhood to be age restricted and not allow any children under the age of 19 in this case?
- Would you want to be able to rent the ADU to anyone and use it for retirement income?
Again, please submit your answers via email by July 1st, 2018,and you can be our monthly winner! Please be sure to include your name and phone number with your answers. Your identity will not be disclosed, but we will put all responses into a hat and pull the winner after July 1st.
Even if you do not participate in the drawing, I would love to hear what you think. Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts on Accessory Dwelling Units. Aging in Place solutions are few and far between and this is a subject we all need to be thinking about.
If you are considering relocating to Delaware, get your start bydownloading our FREE Relocation Guide HERE to help you the right home in Northern, Central or Southern Delaware.