The new California laws that went into effect in January have lessened the difficulty and cost of adding a so-called granny unit, now dubbed Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), to single-family or multi-family dwellings. San Jose has gone a step further in their attempts to ease the housing shortage that is causing rents in the Bay Area to skyrocket. San Jose’s removal of barriers for these small rental units; by lowering the total square footage of the lot needed for an ADU and increasing the maximum square footage of the unit itself to 800 square feet, can create a great opportunity for you - the homeowner - to benefit. While it may not be built for resale, you can rent this unit out to increase your monthly income. It can also be used for multi-generational living, for instance with boomerang kids or aging parents. It can even be used as a short term rental (STR) like Airbnb.

Like a lot of us, I love attending dinner parties with friends. Playing host can be fun as well, as long as things go smoothly, but I was recently reminded just how difficult hosting can be. I have a couple of dear friends in the Los Altos community who love having get-togethers every now and then. They have a lovely mid-century home in the north end, and they really went the extra mile with mojitos to accompany our appetizers, a roast that fell off the bone, and strawberry cheesecake for dessert.