I have been renting a 520sf bungalow in Venice for 8 years. I am a pre Google pre “silicon beach” resident.

Because of the nature of LA real estate this means 2 things:

1. I can never move to another rental.

2. I can NEVER move.

I wouldn’t mind a change of scenery, or more space, but a bigger apartment in my neighborhood is going to be 2-3x my current rent, which doesn’t make any sense, and buying a home anywhere on the Westside of LA is outside of my budget. My nightly routine would consist of: Redfin, Zillow, Craigslist, Trulia, close my computer, sigh, go to bed. For years I would look at options periodically, realize there weren’t any, and then move around the furniture in my apartment to make it feel different.

Then 2020 rolls around……..

Real estate is still expensive, that has not changed, but what has changed is the way I can conceivably use my future property. Adding an ADU and JADU to my currently fictitious property and renting them both will offset my mortgage. Because of this flexibility and income I would feel way more comfortable about taking on the commitment of a big long term loan.

I can live in my primary home and rent my ADU and JADU. If an unforeseen financial circumstance pops up, I can move into the JADU and rent my two larger properties.

For someone like me trying to put down some roots, it now seems possible.

For someone who made a great investment and put roots down in Venice years ago (or insert any other highly gentrified neighborhood) they can capitalize by adding an ADU and renting. They don’t have to sell and move, they can earn cash while staying in their own home.

That is the beauty of it. It is an option that literally helps everyone.

ADUs are a solution to a problem for many on the individual level, and increasing our housing options will theoretically help on a macro level.

Win/Win.