Mother in law ADUs, adding good or bad?

[Eric Kissinger]

Hello all, I recently made an offer on a property and the only way it will work for me is if I turn 650 sq. ft. into a mother in law apartment to live in and rent out the rest of the 3 bedroom home. It will not cost much to add the ADU and shouldn’t be a problem making it up to code. Is this practice on a R1 zoned single family home worth it? Does adding a mother in law increase value to a home? Will this addition make more buyers interested when I sell in 2-4 yrs (my end strategy). Any thoughts/input is appreciated! Merry Christmas!

[Charlie MacPherson]

@Eric Kissinger AS long as you don't violate zoning and you pull the required permits and build to code, the ADU should add value.

As baby boomers continue to age, more and more are living with their kids.  In-law apartments are very attractive for that purpose, especially if it's all on the first level, i.e., no stairs.