Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Primer Course

Increasing rates of prospective home buyers are interested in building an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit or what are also known as granny flats or mother-in-law apartments) on their property to provide income and housing flexibility. Real estate professionals who are on the cutting edge of this emerging development trend can best serve their clients by understanding site eligibility, development process and costs, and the return on investment of ADUs.

Attend this 3-hour training designed to help real estate professionals gain an introduction to ADU development. The course is developed and delivered by ADU guru, Kol Peterson of Accessory Dwelling Strategies LLC and author of Backdoor Revolution- The Definitive Guide to ADU Development. Kol is based in Portland, Oregon, where the epicenter of this movement has taken place and ADUs have recently surpassed single-family home construction in the city.

Course Objectives

• Review the demographics of current and soon-to-be ADU owners and renters
• Understand what makes a property ADU-ready
• Gain lessons learned from Portland's ADU-championing policies
• Understand the ADU design, permitting, and building process (attached, detached, and garage conversion)
• Analyze cost scenarios, valuation, financing, and revenue-generating options for ADUs

Course Content

This online course is approximately three hours long. It consists of a video presentation divided into 14 sections. There are no quizzes or end-of-course final exam. A course completion certificate will be issued after completing the course.

To learn about specific city policies and earning the ADU Specialist designation offered by Earth Advantage, visit this ADU Specialist designation course page at EarthAdvantage.org to register for live courses being offered in the Portland (OR), Vancouver (WA), and Bend (OR) areas.