Bakersfield Homes for Sale with a Detached Guest House
Bakersfield Homes for Sale with a Detached Guest House
We’re full swing into the holiday season and enjoying all the things we love to do this time of year. We’re welcoming family from out of town, completing Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts and mailing Christmas cards. Out of all of these things, our absolute favorite part of the holidays is connecting with the ones we love the most.
This is the time of year when family comes into town and everyone comes together to catch up, share meals and enjoy family traditions. If you’re hosting, then we can guess that your guest room is occupied and you might have even broken out the air mattress to make room for everyone!
Or maybe you’ve booked a comfortable, local Air BNB to house extra guests. Though I hope you didn’t wait too long, because chances are they’re all booked up!
Usually it’s the holidays that highlight a need for increased guest space that allows everyone to feel comfortable as family members come to visit. However, we’ve noticed a rising real estate trend that is leading buyers to ask for a more comfortable solution as multi generational families are beginning to live under one roof again.
Multigenerational Households
It wasn’t too long ago that families lived together in one household as the grandparents retired and the next generation entered into childrearing years. In recent generations this type of household has been considered a more “traditional” way of living, however we’re now seeing it become more common with three generations living under one roof.
More than the financial appeal of sharing household expenses, people are realizing the importance of community, family and the benefits of grandparents staying close and lending a helping hand in raising the next generation.
Families are looking for solutions that allow everyone to feel comfortable with space to call their own. This is leading many families to look for Bakersfield homes for sale with a detached guest house, or a private quarter with a separate entrance.
Bakersfield Homes for Sale with In Law Quarters
Buyers are coming to us looking for Bakersfield homes for sale with a detached guest house for their in laws. When a property with a detached guest house isn’t available, we’re getting creative and locating attached guest quarters with a separate entrance that is either move in ready, or easily added on to to create more of a private space.
This is becoming so popular that even new property developments are automatically including attached in law quarters. In Bakersfield, an attached guest house with a separate entrance is more common than a detached guest house which makes it easier to locate for buyers.
Detached or not, these homes typically have their own entrance, a kitchenette, bathroom and living space which make it easy for each generation to have their own private living space.
In many cases, homes with attached in law quarters are move in ready such as this listing in Downtown Bakersfield with a detached guest house.
This home is a great example of what Bakersfield has to offer in the way of attached guest quarters: plenty of charm, room for the whole family and room to entertain.
Downtown Bakersfield 21St listing with detached guest house
Additional Perks of a Guest House
Outside of a space for guests or in laws, buyers are also looking for extra space for a home office, space to rent out to tenants, Air BNB hosting options and room for adult children who haven’t left the nest just yet.
The zoning of the property determines whether or not you’ll be able to rent to a tenant so if you’re looking to do this, it’s important to know before you purchase what the zoning does and does not allow. Which leads us to our next topic.
Zoning and Permits for an Attached or Detached Guest House
Before you jump on a property, make sure that the zoning allows you to make any changes you’re planning on implementing. Because attached in law / guest quarters are more common in Bakersfield, it’s usually easiest to find a home with the floor plan that you prefer, and then make changes or build on to it so it fits your specific needs.
Ask the right questions, and better yet, work with the right agent who knows what to look for.
We recently had a buyer looking for a Bakersfield property with room to build a detached guest house on the property for their in laws. First things first, we needed to make sure the zoning allowed them to build on the property, and if so, what size guest house they would be allowed to build.
We walked through the entire process with our buyers and even accompanied them to the County office to look into zoning for this particular property. We guided them through the paperwork and questions as they looked up the property they intended to buy. We found out that they would be allowed to build a detached guest house within a certain square footage that was dependent on the size of the property. They bought the property and moved into the existing home while their in laws are soon to break ground on the detached in law quarters.
Not only does the zone dictate the square footage of the detached guest house, but it also determines whether or not you’re allowed to build a full kitchen, versus a kitchenette.
Many other factors need to be considered and that’s why it’s important to work with a seasoned real estate agent that knows which questions to ask and where to search to find you exactly what you’re looking for. If you have any questions on zoning for an attached or detached guest house in Bakersfield, send us a email and we’ll be happy to guide you!
Cost of a Bakersfield Guest House
When deciding whether to build onto an existing structure or build something new, it completely depends on the zoning, purpose of the space and what’s available on the market.
In Bakersfield, it’s typically more affordable and easier to build on to something that already exists and create an attached guest space. This type of home is simply more common here.
Although, it can increase the value of the property to build a detached guest house. This of course has other factors to consider such as how it’s built and how much money is put into it compared to how much you’ll receive from the property if you decide to sell in the future.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for a home to house your immediate family, or join multiple generations under one roof, we’re with your for your next adventure.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from our family to yours.