SAN JOSE. Recent California reforms designed to make it easier to build granny flats — one fix to ease the housing crisis — have not gone far enough to overcome local bureaucracy and neighborhood opposition, housing advocates say. But supporters [...]
BERKELEY (KPIX 5) — The high cost of housing in the Bay Area is splitting families apart as young people find they can’t afford to live in their own hometowns. But some are finding that a solution is not far [...]
Marin County supervisors took steps this week to encourage Marin residents to create accessory dwelling and junior accessory dwelling units. The board voted Tuesday to extend a financial incentive to create junior accessory dwelling units for another year. The existing [...]
The #1 question is usually: “How much does a YardPod cost?” We have delivered YardPods for between $7,000 and $40,000. Cost is dependent on size, geometry and finishes. If you want to have a YardPod at the lowest possible cost, [...]
Q1: What is a YardPod? A: A YardPod is a well-designed, modern, high-quality, insulated stand-alone building of 120 sq.ft. or less, designed for use as a Home Office or Studio. Q2: Are Permits required? A: Most local authorities allow such [...]
Given the movement of inhabiting smaller, more modest homes, dedicated rooms and room-specific furniture are becoming more and more rare. In many cases around the world, living spaces have continued to become smaller, requiring their inhabitants to seek out space-saving [...]
Burlingame officials agreed to loosen accessory dwelling unit building regulations as a means of combating the local affordability crisis, despite the parking and property management concerns raised by some. The Burlingame City Council voted 3-2, with Mayor Michael Brownrigg and [...]
A HomeReady Mortgage is a Fannie Mae, first-time home buyer loan program, with minimum down payment requirements, and some very particular underwriting characteristics. When a borrower is purchasing a single-unit primary residence with a 3% minimum down payment and [...]
Housing lessons Interested in accessory dwelling units? The Housing Trust of Silicon Valley is collecting names for homeowners interested in learning more about ADUs. They will convene a focus group this month to help develop loan program parameters and will [...]
The demand for housing in the metro Bay Area is far outpacing the supply, a phenomenon that is driving inflated real estate prices even higher. There are high-rise apartment buildings popping up all over San Francisco to meet the housing [...]