Grandmother baking with granddaughter

Since 2015, Portland, OR, Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami have all seen double-digit growth of accessory dwelling units, finds a new analysis by Freddie Mac. 

Often used as a senior housing alternative, ADUs include granny flats, garage apartments and in-law suites and are now part of 1.4 million distinct, single-family properties, the firm’s analysis found. Last year, 70,000 properties with ADUs were sold on the Multiple Listing Service, representing 4.2% of total homes sold. By comparison, only 1.1% of homes sold in 2000 included an ADU. 

Freddie Mac also found that between 2009 and 2018, the number of ADUs listed for the first time, including for-sale and for-rent units, grew by an average of 8.6% year-over-year.

“The nation’s affordable housing crisis has intensified in this turbulent economic environment, and ADUs are increasingly providing a viable affordable housing option for people of all ages,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “This analysis is both unique and large in scale, giving us insight into the growing movement of accessory dwelling units.”

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